tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79546259892637197772024-03-12T18:25:05.293-07:00Few days of travel. And then some.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-21184389831686230082018-09-09T05:20:00.001-07:002018-09-09T05:20:56.436-07:00In the land of Ouzo and ZorbasDuring our lazy days in Samoa we had some time to plan our next move. We went through all kinds of route plans including Japan and USA among others but ended up booking a flight from Auckland via Sydney via Singapore all the way to Athens, Greece. One of the reasons was that the tickets from Singapore to Athens felt dirt cheap being less than 300€ per person. And besides, who doesn't love Greek food ;D<br />
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Before going to Europe we stayed two nights in Auckland in a lovely airbnb place nearby the airport. We ended up taking a taxi there after many failed Über tries (the drivers didn't want to take such a short trip). Our Airbnb had <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/18062422?s=51">lovely hosts</a> and a lovely house, but when its dark and you're in a new place it can be tricky to find the right house. Not saying that we intruded some random Samoan resident's home when the front door was open or anything... 🙄<br />
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We didn't have much time in Auckland between our flights but still we were still fortunate enough to visit <a href="https://www.aucklandnz.com/pasifika-festival">Pasifika Festival</a> and meet our friend from Brisbane and some of her family members also. It was precious and we are so much looking forward for meeting again hopefully in the near future, maybe in Finland this time :)<br />
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The following day we took public transportation to Auckland airport. Our layover in Sydney was short but in Singapore we had to wait for few hours.. The company we flew to Europe with was called <a href="https://www.flyscoot.com/en">Scoot</a> and as you might expect there were no personal touch screens or other luxuries included in the 266,19€ (with luggage!) price. Luckily the 11 hour flight left early in the morning around 3 am and we got some sleep during the journey.<br />
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We got to Athens March 27th around 10 am and went for a morning coffee straight away as there was no service on the plane and our journey from Aucland had taken nearly 26 hours. There was plenty of time to plan our route to our accommodation as our check in at <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/gr/olympion-akharnaa.fi.html">Olympion Hotel</a> started from 1 pm. With our caffeine-filled minds we had no trouble figuring out the best option and went to buy the train tickets to our destination. We did some waiting and after getting on the train and riding half an hour or so we got to the station we had googled. It seemed a little empty when we got off but we didn't pay too much attention on that at the moment although later on there was some trouble...<br />
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From the station there we had less than 10 minutes walk to our hotel.We checked in and almost immediately went to look for a grocery store. We found one nearby and being there shopping groceries in Europe using euros it felt weirdly familiar and foreign at the same time. Among other groceries we bought <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouzo">Ouzo</a> which I've always hated but when in Rome (Athens)...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in Europe!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The essentials</td></tr>
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After traveling all the way from New Zealand to Europe and not getting too much sleep we didn't do any sightseeing on our first day in Athens. One place we did visit though was a nearby restaurant called <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/iXZR9mnF4HR2">Fagourio</a>. They didn't speak too much English there but we got our order through and the food was absolutely mouth watering and amazing! It was just a simple little place but it's very often the case with some of the best experiences. Little street food stalls in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, a modest bar in Koh Tao serving tasty Tom Yam, little sea food restaurant in Gdansk, tiny hole in the wall serving those tiny but so, so tasty tacos in Mexico.. Those are the places that stick to your mind.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first real taste of Greece</td></tr>
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The next day was our only full day in Athens so we decided to visit Acropolis. It didn't take long to walk back to the train station where we arrived the day before. But when it was time to buy tickets there was no place to do that. The ticket machines were out of order and there was only a guard in the ticket booth so we continued our way along the tracks. After walking a while we got to another station and there... we faced the same situation. Only after a considerable walk we found a bigger station and there we got tickets for the train. We bought tickets for the next day also because our own station was a ghost place. It was a bit rainy when we got to Acropolis but we decided to visit there anyway. There were some Finns in the ticket booth queue so we tried to keep our silence :D<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from Acropolis</td></tr>
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Rest of the day we just strolled around Athens and looked for two restaurants that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/migrationology">Mark Wiens</a> had recommended in his vlogs. The restaurants worth visiting for are called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvg9kJ35jEY&t=15m37s">Kostas Souvlaki</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvg9kJ35jEY&t=4m31s">Mam</a>. Kostas offers tasty gyro pitas and Mam delicious cheese pies (mm my mouth is watering just thinking about what we ate..). The next day we packed our stuff and took a train to the airport (luckily we had the tickets ready..). There we took the short flight to Rhodes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our ride to Rhodes</td></tr>
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From Rhodes airport it was an easy bus ride to the center of the city. And our hotel was located very center indeed, it was conveniently named <a href="http://the-perfect-spot-luxury-apartments.rhodes.hotels-rhodes.net/en/">The Perfect Spot Luxury Apartments</a>. If you're staying in Rhodes for more than few nights we highly recommend checking the place out. It was spacious and relatively cheap and, well, on the perfect spot.<br />
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We spent the next few days in Rhodes center and Old Town. If you're around and feeling hungry, be sure to check out <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.fi/Restaurant_Review-g635613-d7931935-Reviews-Stavlos-Rhodes_Town_Rhodes_Dodecanese_South_Aegean.html">Stavlos</a>.<br />
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On Sunday we had a full schedule. First in the morning we took a good walk and visited Acropolis of Rhodes. Then we went back to our hotel to play some Tantrix and get ready for Throne of Helios 9D show (and Starbucks next door, gotta keep collecting those mugs ;p).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning walk near Acropolis of Rhodes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A game of Squiggle (Tantrix)</td></tr>
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If you ask me to think Greece the first thing comes to mind would be a small tavern filled with people, live music and delicious food. The place we had dinner in (<span style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.fi/Restaurant_Review-g635613-d8533142-Reviews-Kathopoulis_Family_Restaurant-Rhodes_Town_Rhodes_Dodecanese_South_Aegean.html">Kathopoulis Family Restaurant</a>)</span> was just like that and we really enjoyed the night! (usually stereotypes are bad but we'll let this one slip).<br />
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On our last day in Rhodes we hopped on a bus and traveled to Lindos. The place was full of cute small streets and the main thing there was to get all the way up to the fort but of course with out the help of the poor and cute donkeys.. We walked though. We saw the ruins from the outside and decided not to pay the touristy price for the ticket. So we went back down and visited a nice restaurant on the way instead. Greek salad and tzatziki never fails, really :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lindos</td></tr>
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After Rhodes its was time to leave the clear blue waters behind and hop on the airplane and travel to Nyköping where we got a ok priced bus ride to Stockholm. There it was easy to navigate our way back to Finland. The ferry ride went through icy grey waters which felt so familiar (ugh) and also somehow very distant. And BAM. Then we were back home. Just like that. It was weird.. It was like we hadn't been anywhere but at the same time with all the memories of all the great places.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memories from our trips together on the wall</td></tr>
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What an amazing journey! <3<br />
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Afterword</h4>
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If you have a travel bucket list, it just might happen that during your journeys the list does not shorten but instead grows longer. In our original plan we were supposed to stay 3 weeks in Philippines and fly home from Hong Kong. So I guess those go in the list. And when we were musing on our route options back home we grew more interest in visiting Japan. I've heard so many good things about Nepal, too, and that would be in the same general direction so add those too.. And of course the list is long already including places in Europe, Africa, Central and South America and who knows where. Maybe we'll write something here during some of our future trips. Or maybe we won't.<br />
Traveling is a passion nonetheless and it's been it's own journey writing this blog, surprisingly time consuming for sure but a nice way to assemble our experiences. Thanks for our readers for traveling with us, we hope you liked staying with us. See you next time!<br />
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- Matias & Sini</div>
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Our route so far
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-92729054252292132018-07-01T02:51:00.000-07:002018-09-09T05:30:08.501-07:00Visiting Samoa and Some Moa<div dir="ltr">
After NZ South Island we stayed couple of days in the North Island again before our trip to Samoa. It was cool to go back to our "roots" as we stayed <a href="http://fewdaysoftravel.blogspot.com/2018/04/nz-north.html">again</a> at the Bamber House. From there it was easy to get to the airport and to the city center. It was a bit bittersweet to go back to Auckland as I missed my mum and sis but.. It was also exciting :)<br />
One year before we were planning to pack our bags and head out to the world my two (actually three) co-workers said farewells and went to see the world :) and now.. after 1,5 years it was time to see Sofia and Sebu again.. In Auckland NZ! Haha that was so cool! :)<br />
So on one Saturday afternoon we met up on Queen Street and hopped on a ferry and went to the Waiheke Island. It was so nice to catch up as I had followed their journey through Instagram and got some good tips of places to visit. We had a great sunny and warm day at Waiheke Island playing frisbee golf, Tantrix and consuming beer on a beach. The night got even better when we tried unhealthy vegetarian food (by <a href="https://www.lordofthefries.com.au/">Lord of the Fries</a>) talking about future plans and chilies in wrong places.. Good times 😎<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A summer day well spent</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLK82Kizcl_bNooYaytxtxWMtAbMysu4uISYTcA7qM4H1ThgfJxG0goylVEfYx0mTfMHOGO-zCiYiKxRmYvhwIAiv2-dYiSs27hSlSV8eRoh4FixlKESwcYWZwznSwYBWMmYO783foEs/s1600/IMG_20180310_192423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLK82Kizcl_bNooYaytxtxWMtAbMysu4uISYTcA7qM4H1ThgfJxG0goylVEfYx0mTfMHOGO-zCiYiKxRmYvhwIAiv2-dYiSs27hSlSV8eRoh4FixlKESwcYWZwznSwYBWMmYO783foEs/s400/IMG_20180310_192423.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tantrix and beer on the beach</td></tr>
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But yeah, that was the "Moa" part* of the story but the actual post is about Samoa.<br />
What started as a joke in a bar in Bondi Beach Sydney turned out to be our reality and all of a sudden we were in a bumpy plane ride towards Samoa.<br />
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It took maybe 3-4 hours to get to Samoa from Auckland and when we got there we immediately noticed that we aren't in a super Western country anymore. The main terminal was under construction so we were guided to a nearby building for our immigration. There was a duty free "shop" consisting of one little stand in the corridor and a Samoan band wearing Samoan Talofa shirts was playing ukuleles and singing local island songs near the luggage belt. That was so special and thoughtful. We did not have any expectations whatsoever so it was all so exciting! When we arrived it was pitch black so we didn't see anything from the van's window and it was quite late when arriving to our accommodation in Apia, <a href="http://www.talofainnsamoa.com/">Talofa Inn</a>. It was so late that no shops were open, they don't have any 24h 7/11 or gas stations there. But after a quick Google search we found a place of relief.. McDonald's! Oh hallelujah! And the best thing was that McD was just few blocks away and it was pretty much the only building staying open 24/7.</div>
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It was so dark and silent outside that I was super afraid to go out after 11pm in a strange place.. but we had to eat so my knight in not-so-shiny armor went to fetch some dinner for us. My hero <3<br />
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I can not even put into words how wonderful place Talofa Inn was. It's a small place in a wonderful location in Apia. Only 6 rooms, commodity kitchen, marvellous breakfast and smiling lovely ladies taking care of the people there. Talofa Inn was also a place where we met this one German/UK/Chinese guy and a Canadian girl.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jBbKrBckuC-SXUleIlt5IpkR0oQHYpxUcRTQoR_2KChnJLXtjH55LU_NwQO7srD60DOMRBJChHwYrtGUX9ULqU8GhJgEdkuiLATPF55i4xb7OrSbBn0RI_JlMzYHYH-yuGlEyafRlTM/s1600/talofa_bf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jBbKrBckuC-SXUleIlt5IpkR0oQHYpxUcRTQoR_2KChnJLXtjH55LU_NwQO7srD60DOMRBJChHwYrtGUX9ULqU8GhJgEdkuiLATPF55i4xb7OrSbBn0RI_JlMzYHYH-yuGlEyafRlTM/s400/talofa_bf.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talofa Inn breakfast</td></tr>
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Chatting at the breakfast table lead us to experience Samoa in a way we hadn't planned. Odin and Megan were heading to see the island of Upolu and we had the pleasure to join them. First we checked a 100m waterfall Papapapaitai and then got to swim in smaller one called Togitogiga (I am not making these names up...). Well Matias couldn't unfortunately swim as he had his new ink on him, but he got to enjoy the scenery still :) It was refreshing and amazing experience to have a dip. Also interesting experience as we met this local guy who first talked about his life and then laid his eyes on the Canadian girl trying to hook up with her behind the bathroom :D Well no time for hooking up as we had to rush to see what more the island had to offer ;D then we ended up in a paradise.. To Sua Ocean Trench. This place was so pretty with ocean view, small fales and clear water ocean trench where one can just chill and float. It had some scary ladders but I made it with Odin and Megan while Matias guarded our stuff and had his chill time enjoying few cold ones :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving through the island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Togitogiga Waterfall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTkIoGwKMCSGNHsnseE4_rcPilhR74egO01ieh1OgPfCIkNs8tMvyFrczkpPPS4XOJ5FsV8AT_0pUbLVfNMwkGJhVsOgWF0gfhT8J4UyMCQFt7xKyq_x3zWpCskxPhJbueAiRAftKOl8/s1600/IMG_20180315_152733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTkIoGwKMCSGNHsnseE4_rcPilhR74egO01ieh1OgPfCIkNs8tMvyFrczkpPPS4XOJ5FsV8AT_0pUbLVfNMwkGJhVsOgWF0gfhT8J4UyMCQFt7xKyq_x3zWpCskxPhJbueAiRAftKOl8/s400/IMG_20180315_152733.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To Sua Ocean Trench</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpa2gtQZV8CTGvVDhS88kFBvhjIaX2Zt6EoAwlG9TC5FQ5Mbt3otf6KqiTgq86JElVp4ypQ-jZm22YR8ZQw6U-I96-3hPE7anfc5uLGRutJsLb9P6PZWm-izx7OJ-D6ehB6gq_BwD-NU/s1600/coldone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpa2gtQZV8CTGvVDhS88kFBvhjIaX2Zt6EoAwlG9TC5FQ5Mbt3otf6KqiTgq86JElVp4ypQ-jZm22YR8ZQw6U-I96-3hPE7anfc5uLGRutJsLb9P6PZWm-izx7OJ-D6ehB6gq_BwD-NU/s400/coldone.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin' in a fale</td></tr>
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After the chill time we headed to explore the island little bit more.<br />
We ended up in a tiny village of Uafato. The whole village was playing and enjoying some cricket like sport by the ocean and we actually drove through their playing field.. twice. Whoopsie. Luckily the village people were patient and let us move on in peace.<br />
Odin was a good driver and we made back to Talofa Inn and cooked some dinner and we got introduced to Dhal soup :D ah.. that thing "saved" our lives later on our journey!<br />
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We stayed little over a week in Apia and we chilled, read books and wandered around a lot. We visited the fruit market and the flea market often and enjoyed the view of the ocean and the colorful bus terminal :) We also found an amazing restaurant called <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.fi/Restaurant_Review-g312868-d1738617-Reviews-Paddles_Restaurant-Apia_Upolu.html">Paddles</a>. It's a Italian restaurant founded by Italian guy who fell in love with a Samoan lady. You should always make a reservation, but if you forget and go just when it opens, you just might get lucky and get to have the marvelous food over there before the hustle. Especially the tuna and the salsa brings big smile to my face to this day :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucrnuP2_SA1z9bidgqVRdVPHN5zNoqAfsDKYERuo4zT_XnOJO2Y41PmiHpZVeavOh6pR7AJwSdZ5RoOMuAQQzlCAbLMmssE9PCww5GCIOuzT0tJIIxKSg4L6OHSrRqaCGsASUvJ5AvKI/s1600/bussit_samoalla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1497" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucrnuP2_SA1z9bidgqVRdVPHN5zNoqAfsDKYERuo4zT_XnOJO2Y41PmiHpZVeavOh6pR7AJwSdZ5RoOMuAQQzlCAbLMmssE9PCww5GCIOuzT0tJIIxKSg4L6OHSrRqaCGsASUvJ5AvKI/s400/bussit_samoalla.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apia bus terminal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce5G4yHufCOqcPZnF6YXG2tLqVc9Q-MxuWOq8GxpESqy8_u8Z6GmjZfwXlPJ2iZ5AVs9URZh9RJHnSTG6GsQv6zUIa4ghp1cotK0zjpXvi4CuFJUUdoy8p0A4RuEu2k_IMXzb5mAVFn8/s1600/market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1497" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce5G4yHufCOqcPZnF6YXG2tLqVc9Q-MxuWOq8GxpESqy8_u8Z6GmjZfwXlPJ2iZ5AVs9URZh9RJHnSTG6GsQv6zUIa4ghp1cotK0zjpXvi4CuFJUUdoy8p0A4RuEu2k_IMXzb5mAVFn8/s400/market.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flea market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gVmP4CxXDGf_Mg6uLX7-R-MZLo0leIKehBNXn32MIISR8Zt4etiFNIGkEihhk-QkM6QZW9R3da1-OJz2-cWQXZ-ImOfSKqmhu12Y9T6Us41v5UbK4codTfcnjNK40gY1Ga_35ajPYQE/s1600/tunamenu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1497" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gVmP4CxXDGf_Mg6uLX7-R-MZLo0leIKehBNXn32MIISR8Zt4etiFNIGkEihhk-QkM6QZW9R3da1-OJz2-cWQXZ-ImOfSKqmhu12Y9T6Us41v5UbK4codTfcnjNK40gY1Ga_35ajPYQE/s400/tunamenu.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm..</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxB4-udg_qPYzjGQSQYFNiK2iGRKFVxhbJ9TyBd8su2BRZTcTJmmhTpdwr2EMYPfJMNk5IJ8QmIklbpSFFr77YuB6swKDfEc4u6MW9mLogjqwWgMmmNT22Fzb8ngpHR3WoqIuhg6C6QE/s1600/tuna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxB4-udg_qPYzjGQSQYFNiK2iGRKFVxhbJ9TyBd8su2BRZTcTJmmhTpdwr2EMYPfJMNk5IJ8QmIklbpSFFr77YuB6swKDfEc4u6MW9mLogjqwWgMmmNT22Fzb8ngpHR3WoqIuhg6C6QE/s400/tuna.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heavenly tuna</td></tr>
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We also visited The Cultural village of Samoa and that was an eye opener and amazing peak of Samoan history and the way of living there. We also got to taste some taro with Palusami and some fish made in umu, the tradition natural oven. The cultural village visit was free of charge but they accept donations so we felt it was good to give a little something back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_fHI4dU2YltP0WNJ4hT9jSj077iHLUA2QRyeRSRcFBxsJeFV6yAoxyRObQIxqDunYJg4DecTely6l7WCMXL0Wu-iiilUO7rVjvmADAnYx4bwX1X2nqRl1h11cvJsytmz9QYFz9G0ACU/s1600/umu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1497" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_fHI4dU2YltP0WNJ4hT9jSj077iHLUA2QRyeRSRcFBxsJeFV6yAoxyRObQIxqDunYJg4DecTely6l7WCMXL0Wu-iiilUO7rVjvmADAnYx4bwX1X2nqRl1h11cvJsytmz9QYFz9G0ACU/s400/umu.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Umu cooking</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZAQ2r9yNQFC2LgUKE8zinat-WuCw58KdNpNqXEZ4S1qDwUq-HnaW2ItV8auIz4WuCeuG71uCD6qnOuhKKRO9mUf-Dn_UKYXa6jXCEI_deLK8VZ5LG4of4qkb1qO8zxUZ7KRvFiTOAAk/s1600/umumatias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZAQ2r9yNQFC2LgUKE8zinat-WuCw58KdNpNqXEZ4S1qDwUq-HnaW2ItV8auIz4WuCeuG71uCD6qnOuhKKRO9mUf-Dn_UKYXa6jXCEI_deLK8VZ5LG4of4qkb1qO8zxUZ7KRvFiTOAAk/s400/umumatias.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palusami is good!</td></tr>
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We pondered should we go to visit Savai´i the bigger island and supposedly more beautiful island of Samoa but we counted our days and resources and wanted to try something fancy for a change instead. We booked our last 3 nights near the airport in a five star hotel. It was <a href="http://www.booking.com/Share-k3i3L2">Sheraton Samoa Beach Resort</a> and it was something else.<br />
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Breathtaking beach with hammocks and peace. Super friendly staff, swimming pool, good beer and big comfortable bed and also.. great food :) Though as we had our budget also in mind we weren't the typical five start residents.. oh no :) we had our own canned food! We had Dhal soup and dynamite chili meat mix and noodles with us! Matias, our chef "cooked" our delicious meal by putting the water heater on and filled the sink with hot water. Then he added our cans to heat up. After some waiting we had semi warm food to fill our tummies with. Haha it was silly but hey it made sense! The last night we spoiled ourselves and went to a Fia Fia night. Samoans are proud of their fire dance skills so the night meant good food, nice dance performances from ladies and gents of Samoa. Our waiter made sure we got good seats and what do you know we were invited to dance on the stage with the locals :D The fire dance later on was also cool! Or more like on fire! The guys are talented.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheraton Samoa Beach </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life hacks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh500V7H2yThGxw3oHU0RcoukPmx7H7zVWm95gM9_3g203z2_9ksFFmhNkjJPzGA7UF8LleWboNU-C9Drnevmdwr4e63Dv3OetInvtCnT5P7_r9psVYtR-p2Kd8oMZHIy8Taoa-4EwPBqM/s1600/hammock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1497" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh500V7H2yThGxw3oHU0RcoukPmx7H7zVWm95gM9_3g203z2_9ksFFmhNkjJPzGA7UF8LleWboNU-C9Drnevmdwr4e63Dv3OetInvtCnT5P7_r9psVYtR-p2Kd8oMZHIy8Taoa-4EwPBqM/s400/hammock2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favourite moments of all time<br />
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Samoan dance</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fia Fia Show</td></tr>
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<span style="margin-left: 0.2ex; margin-right: 0.2ex;">Ay ay ay :) I am smiling so much while writing this post by the way. </span><br />
I still drift away to the Sheraton hammock where we cuddled in an amazing sunset while listening to our favourites Robin and Popeda <3<br />
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If you ever get a change to visit this place.. do it. And bring your sun block and mosquito repellent.. The sun is hot and there is the possibility to get dengue or zika for example so stay safe and enjoy your life :)<br />
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Next for us it was time to work our way back to Europe and.. back home :) ️</div>
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*Oh and the headline.. The Moa part was NZ of course. Moa´s are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. But Moa is also a small brewery from Marlborough, New Zealand, offering a wide range of craft beer. So the Moa lives on after all.
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- Sini
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Our route so far
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-42766731771884751402018-05-23T05:05:00.001-07:002018-05-23T05:05:46.866-07:00NZ SouthOn Thursday 8th of February we left Auckland and North Island behind and flew to Queenstown. I was gaping out of the plane window for a long time enjoying the amazing views as we approached the airport. Queenstown Airport is surrounded by beautiful mountains and lakes and it's definitely one of the most picturesque airports I've ever been to (<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3163794/You-won-t-want-land-New-Zealand-s-Queenstown-Airport-voted-STUNNING-runway-approach-world-snowcapped-mountains-pristine-lakes.html">I'm not the only one thinking that</a>)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5XWBqtc0d0UmzFBeGg6AGg6OQulTKahz1mbp4ZSN68bAo5EeTKsSFaxl_qnsCSMJvEzy7NtIEhtVutY7x0c5p5uPBETV6yBwNjtGZ15LUhCr8R_1mlX1nk1RLspa68_UIItCbQBOPts/s1600/20180208_150051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5XWBqtc0d0UmzFBeGg6AGg6OQulTKahz1mbp4ZSN68bAo5EeTKsSFaxl_qnsCSMJvEzy7NtIEhtVutY7x0c5p5uPBETV6yBwNjtGZ15LUhCr8R_1mlX1nk1RLspa68_UIItCbQBOPts/s400/20180208_150051.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Airport grounds and the Remarkables</td></tr>
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We searched for accommodations about a week before our flight but this time we ran into problems. Until then we had had no problems booking our rooms few days in advance or even the day before staying but it was a different story in South Island. First it felt that EVERYTHING was fully booked and we found out it was the peak season with the Chinese New Year going on on top of that (we also learned that Queenstown is hugely popular throughout the whole year so book well in advance even outside the peak season). Luckily we didn't leave all the planning for the last day and had at least some time to plan our moves. For starters we got an Airbnb homestay place near the airport for the first couple of days. It was just a walking distance away from the airport and the house was empty as we got there. Well, almost empty as our bed was taken...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCbed9URxtmNhs1tAgXxyXaObXOnPb3WdhttIis9GvEjJiJ2vpLCh9lJ7GTqGKtcAedV5wVjhnSnm7YzGunA67zR4ZQ5it0osfjo9A6uDgsle3CZm9CzBzAA487NEKRCBrotzEaq2Hqg/s1600/20180208_155156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCbed9URxtmNhs1tAgXxyXaObXOnPb3WdhttIis9GvEjJiJ2vpLCh9lJ7GTqGKtcAedV5wVjhnSnm7YzGunA67zR4ZQ5it0osfjo9A6uDgsle3CZm9CzBzAA487NEKRCBrotzEaq2Hqg/s400/20180208_155156.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coco the cat</td></tr>
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It was still early afternoon when we got our stuff in place so we did a little Google research and decided to go to Queenstown and walked to the nearest bus stop. We found out that you can get a <a href="https://www.orc.govt.nz/public-transport/queenstown-buses/fares-and-gocards">GoCard</a> from the bus and it's the cheapest and easiest way to get around. Shortly after arriving to town center we saw <a href="http://www.smallplanetdiscsports.co.nz/">Small Planet Disc Sports</a> and had to pay a visit there, after being taken away from the disc golf scene for few months I had the urge to do some shopping.. After buying some discs we wanted to see Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown waterfront so we walked there. It was just beautiful with clear water and mountains in the background. We also walked to Queenstown Gardens and got a glimpse from it's disc golf course but it was getting late so we hopped on the bus going back to Frankton where we stayed.<br />
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The place we stayed in was a homestay and it was the first time staying in one for both me and Sini. The place had many good reviews but I was still pleasantly surprised. The owner turned out to be really nice and we felt like home and on top of that the place was located just a 20 minute ride from Queenstown. They also had a (bed invading) cat and a dog we planned to kidnap but unfortunately we didn't have space in our backpacks. ;p<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dFMbVMr0MG6vtEnGWPIVQBZHFANsjpOiAYPL_fpGIQJ8mIaxedPOTGNNFcmpVr99JGriPlqedYxPSVxEj4KSbH-2QuykwmZ22Gs_nV0GUsS2x-GlUf11jxVUkfMMzVK7rCc4WSGnEQU/s1600/20180208_193958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dFMbVMr0MG6vtEnGWPIVQBZHFANsjpOiAYPL_fpGIQJ8mIaxedPOTGNNFcmpVr99JGriPlqedYxPSVxEj4KSbH-2QuykwmZ22Gs_nV0GUsS2x-GlUf11jxVUkfMMzVK7rCc4WSGnEQU/s400/20180208_193958.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon sun in Queenstown</td></tr>
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The next three days we took it easy and just enjoyed disc golf in Queenstown Gardens and the town itself. Even if I don't fancy touristy places too much nowadays I fell a little for Queenstown. The place has it's charm for sure and it became one of my favorites in NZ.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVsqBuy9ehRX9VJ64KlHWESndHyjsxBR7hbPKbh3XPxnxGSV1fYau5QG6cj7jL9W95G-uQgy9YBE8pudmtD5FCUbNHT97BcIcIeVW4X3cW74EfAptTDrpSAcFjkbMR9lk5leotbyZUsA/s1600/20180209_154358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVsqBuy9ehRX9VJ64KlHWESndHyjsxBR7hbPKbh3XPxnxGSV1fYau5QG6cj7jL9W95G-uQgy9YBE8pudmtD5FCUbNHT97BcIcIeVW4X3cW74EfAptTDrpSAcFjkbMR9lk5leotbyZUsA/s400/20180209_154358.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's in</td></tr>
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On Monday morning we made our way to <a href="https://www.omegarentalcars.com/">Omega Car Rental</a> near the airport. We had rented a Hyundai Tucson SUV for three weeks and the car greatly eased our situation with accommodations. After paperwork and getting the car we went to get our backpacks and set our way to Alexandra. It's a small town one hour drive east from Queenstown. There's not too much to do around the town but there are some nice hiking possibilities and the guest house we stayed in, <a href="http://www.booking.com/Share-iPleMe">Irish Charm</a>, was well worth the money. On our way to Alexandra we stopped to check out the views at Lake Dunstan near the Clyde Dam.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpN5WzFYx8TKLnShCcabbaBsxxZwbGTz6CTOsWJVItPAaA541Qo87AsfSdXIkM97mE84cMICIarkkuVlLfGpENVhyvGXkt05h63fosb8a458mlXnIaLSLrCu2RWJ8BkhS5xPootxrwHQ/s1600/20180212_124210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpN5WzFYx8TKLnShCcabbaBsxxZwbGTz6CTOsWJVItPAaA541Qo87AsfSdXIkM97mE84cMICIarkkuVlLfGpENVhyvGXkt05h63fosb8a458mlXnIaLSLrCu2RWJ8BkhS5xPootxrwHQ/s400/20180212_124210.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Dunstan</td></tr>
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We were very pleasantly surprised as we got to our guest house as it was located near New World supermarket and it was spacious, clean and had an Apple TV with the game Jetpack Joyride which we totally rocked! It would have been easy to lock ourselves in to beat the high scores but we decided to check out Shaky Bridge Cafe that our host recommended. Coffee and a local pale ale in pretty surroundings worked just fine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJATOAVBEB_tfCrR9oubVlnrwX8JlnVuM4WC0Sn9cio2iNBasGHQytsq4MKpdU8Oq__EC7jzHN4KfCC-wGA6xUPXbenUgmNXpXZ1I0sDLU6atYv-_ls-_xWtFZxaFIwJ_gKo8vNGbSocY/s1600/20180212_153224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJATOAVBEB_tfCrR9oubVlnrwX8JlnVuM4WC0Sn9cio2iNBasGHQytsq4MKpdU8Oq__EC7jzHN4KfCC-wGA6xUPXbenUgmNXpXZ1I0sDLU6atYv-_ls-_xWtFZxaFIwJ_gKo8vNGbSocY/s400/20180212_153224.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaky Bridge Cafe</td></tr>
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Next day we decided to do a day trip to Wanaka which was around one hour drive one way. It turned out to be less touristy version of Queenstown which was just great. And there's a beautiful disc golf course also, perfection!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYyTTS3vog9Qcafefu8QeD2A4UtWaXYEJjUjXLiIlxZ6PWjFXwPOFiPM-qaLiQLYx-ORcQcTkt-i2IZIEvxJjwvWP3WrdfXaN4MuKkDkxZD7SEINk-D1bQR1Tdy1a4KjuXwdkFwDgpgY/s1600/20180213_161610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYyTTS3vog9Qcafefu8QeD2A4UtWaXYEJjUjXLiIlxZ6PWjFXwPOFiPM-qaLiQLYx-ORcQcTkt-i2IZIEvxJjwvWP3WrdfXaN4MuKkDkxZD7SEINk-D1bQR1Tdy1a4KjuXwdkFwDgpgY/s400/20180213_161610.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the views in Wanaka</td></tr>
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Irish Charm was fully booked after Tuesday so we switched places again which was becoming a theme in South Island. Our next place was a Bed and Breakfast a short drive away from Alexandra. After leaving our stuff there we drove to Blue Lake in St Bathans. For me it was a 'meh' experience as there is so much beautiful nature in New Zealand that you kind of become blind to it. What got me more excited was the fact that the place we stayed in had a grill and we bought some steaks and red wine, it's hard to beat a good BBQ! We still had one full day near Alexandra so we decided to do some hiking, or tramping, as the locals call it. It's a long way to the top but boy it feels good when you reach it :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the top</td></tr>
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Our Bed and Breakfast place had some farm animals and later that day Sini got to help with collecting chicken eggs and feeding the sheep. The sheep were a bit suspicious of us and stomped their feet at us but they fled pretty quickly when we did the same to them :D At dinner time we enjoyed some BBQ again as we had the chance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrE_rKYf4raGAVJB7DZq5evqTdGnRX6-agbFlohRVG21cxqSMNz9y-sCl0JEO4-Gfjeg175HP-x3QrxwRin3q4sjZlmoTexsu7_iwFxse78meKnHjkjh3xe2kili-sSL4mvUFCZa9DD9w/s1600/20180215_174458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrE_rKYf4raGAVJB7DZq5evqTdGnRX6-agbFlohRVG21cxqSMNz9y-sCl0JEO4-Gfjeg175HP-x3QrxwRin3q4sjZlmoTexsu7_iwFxse78meKnHjkjh3xe2kili-sSL4mvUFCZa9DD9w/s400/20180215_174458.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farm girl</td></tr>
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There was finally some space in Queenstown hostels on Friday so we made our way there. We checked <a href="https://www.bookme.co.nz/">Bookme</a> for some deals and booked some luge tickets for the next day. It turned out to be great fun and you should definitely book at least 5 rides. We had 7 and each felt faster than the previous one so maybe it was good we didn't have more to avoid injuries :D</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJyRzuwOkkgYRUJfI9nXz4UHurTGjFGFi2UzIVWvWd-Ht3jQaSE_cru8k8rMl8EoqJB7h6yk5TWxLby4j6RiD339B5pFtB6vv7V82oB7am1xvu8PzVgKJkTRjZ55kOG3D-wb7EyOzcXY/s1600/IMG-20180218-WA0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJyRzuwOkkgYRUJfI9nXz4UHurTGjFGFi2UzIVWvWd-Ht3jQaSE_cru8k8rMl8EoqJB7h6yk5TWxLby4j6RiD339B5pFtB6vv7V82oB7am1xvu8PzVgKJkTRjZ55kOG3D-wb7EyOzcXY/s400/IMG-20180218-WA0006.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down the hill we go!</td></tr>
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After the downhill fun we had pizza and went to play disc golf. On the course we met some local guys and played a round with them. They asked if we wanted to join them the next day on a different course that's near Queenstown and we were in of course. It was harder one for sure but nice to try still.</div>
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More visitors</h2>
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On Monday 19th my mom and her friend were coming to visit us for two weeks. We were going back to Alexandra and we drove there beforehand with Sini to check in because our guests' flight was landing pretty late. In the evening we went to the airport to pick up my mom and Kisu and it was nice to meet again after many months of traveling. They had stayed in Singapore for one night to ease the jetlag but had a long flight behind and we still had an hour to drive. It wasn't too bad though and soon they got to paying some sleep debts.<br />
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The next day was rainy so we mostly just watched the Olympics and drove around Alexandra checking out the Shaky Bridge and the nearby town Clyde where the dam is. Following morning we set our way to Wanaka. There's a unique cafe and tourist attraction in Wanaka we decided to visit because it was still too early to check in and the rain continued still. It's called <a href="https://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/">Puzzling World</a> and it has all kind of brain teasers, puzzles and illusions to offer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiej3IJWqOGDhxG6r6fnorDICBcjCsInrKVTjqAMPH64sJcYpKMSSZ8gfT_JqC3eS1VWZcOVEZwcmNSpcwofKS4lnYtqTb1uQcpJ7_qDskk0CNEgS1pfrb6xp3gEQr1IQW4iVEF7ebNQ/s1600/puzzling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiej3IJWqOGDhxG6r6fnorDICBcjCsInrKVTjqAMPH64sJcYpKMSSZ8gfT_JqC3eS1VWZcOVEZwcmNSpcwofKS4lnYtqTb1uQcpJ7_qDskk0CNEgS1pfrb6xp3gEQr1IQW4iVEF7ebNQ/s400/puzzling.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee and puzzles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Again it was raining through the day so we kept inside after buying some groceries and rum to keep us warm. Little before sunset the sky started to clear out a bit so we did a little walk nearby before hitting the bed.<br />
<br />
On Thursday morning we woke up to a whole different world as the sky was clear and the sun was shining. Unfortunately we couldn't enjoy Wanaka more that time as it was time, once again, to change motels. Our next one was located in Cromwell, a small town in middle of Queenstown, Alexandra and Wanaka. On the way we stopped to buy heaps of fresh fruits and went for a walk after checking in at our motel. It was good spending time outside after the rainy days although the town itself didn't have too much to offer. Later that night we had a big meal in Five Stags Restaurant.<br />
<br />
Once again we had booked only one night stay and in the morning we went back towards north. We drove all the way to Twizel, 140 km from Cromwell stopping in Omarama to caffeine up and do some clothes shopping and to buy some fish in <a href="http://www.highcountrysalmon.co.nz/">High Country Salmon</a> that our hostess recommended earlier.</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh59EqxPalhPcbxdkwciJDWn5Dr52ZECcMZjvqHyp4CVjz5wG92V5SDfFXmySkee0nQ7oLjJKe6NhH0D_AhsPZtE7lrKPo7DNcuDSel4DfPZmvlXP4Jy2TkaEL0u3CSa1tadjePOmMVHI/s1600/highsalmon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh59EqxPalhPcbxdkwciJDWn5Dr52ZECcMZjvqHyp4CVjz5wG92V5SDfFXmySkee0nQ7oLjJKe6NhH0D_AhsPZtE7lrKPo7DNcuDSel4DfPZmvlXP4Jy2TkaEL0u3CSa1tadjePOmMVHI/s400/highsalmon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scouting for salmon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After unloading the car and chilling for a while we drove another ten minutes to Lake Pukaki, which Sini had searched up before. We had to rub our eyes a bit when the lake came in view because it was just amazing. The lake has a distinctive light cyan color which it gets from glacial flour and it's an impressive sight. After getting back we still had time to check out the disc golf course which was located conveniently just next to our motel..<br />
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSRe5URaguvb1JMA4deU0qM_pR20_bCwMumi9T3L4Td7imvW_pvaIvVlg8wqiRE87EubnDmtWtTWhqDLk3wq1Yno9y9RYy8hxP8g0MMYUnPuL6vru_P117Qyc5McIIvqD96i9_Z4MNzc/s1600/Pukaki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSRe5URaguvb1JMA4deU0qM_pR20_bCwMumi9T3L4Td7imvW_pvaIvVlg8wqiRE87EubnDmtWtTWhqDLk3wq1Yno9y9RYy8hxP8g0MMYUnPuL6vru_P117Qyc5McIIvqD96i9_Z4MNzc/s400/Pukaki.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Pukaki</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sunday was a relaxation day which we spent in Lake Tekapo and floating in <a href="http://www.tekaposprings.co.nz/">Tekapo Springs</a> hot pools ranging from 37 - 39 degrees Celsius. We were meant also to participate in Salmon Festival but it was already ending when we got back to Twizel that afternoon.<br />
<br />
Our next destination was another small town named Kingston on the shore of Lake Wakatipu and we had the luxury to stay there in a spacious Airbnb place a whopping three nights.. On our way there we stopped for some wine tasting as there are tons of wineries in Central Otago ranging from big to small and bought a bottle of red. We didn't stop for groceries on the way and after getting to Kingston we noticed that the town is so small there's no grocery stores. So I hopped in the car and 60 km later in Lumsden I got us some food :D<br />
<br />
We decided to spend the next day in Queenstown as Kingston was probably the smallest town we'd been to in NZ. On our earlier visits we'd seen the massive lines outside the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fergburger">Fergburger</a> and now was the time to put those hamburgers to the test.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErxHSkzU_8q3l16RY2pFSgNLc9IXWcJqbwU4Ytwt4NlShWu0A9Fu2eUoHZSPmQ5rE0sy_0FB3hdhLhyphenhyphenNOsCaVWEhzcwh3_d2LJ-SNk81fd8kjHmyRtXz011MEo7UMHedouCmG7gWxzxA/s1600/Fergburger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1336" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErxHSkzU_8q3l16RY2pFSgNLc9IXWcJqbwU4Ytwt4NlShWu0A9Fu2eUoHZSPmQ5rE0sy_0FB3hdhLhyphenhyphenNOsCaVWEhzcwh3_d2LJ-SNk81fd8kjHmyRtXz011MEo7UMHedouCmG7gWxzxA/s400/Fergburger.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hype outside Fergburger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Luckily we Finns love to stand in queues because the place was crowded as usual. In less than 15 minutes we had our meal in the bag and we took it to Earnslaw Park by the lake. The burgers were mighty fine, maybe not worth all the hype but very tasty indeed. After the meal we headed to the disc golf course with Sini and my mom did some walking and shopping with Kisu.<br />
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<h2>
Glowworms and tattoos</h2>
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On February 27th it was time to explore Fiordland so we hopped in the car pretty early and started driving towards Te Anau. We arrived before noon and went straight to <a href="https://www.realjourneys.co.nz/en/destinations/te-anau/">Real Journeys</a> office to book tickets for a glowworm cave tour. They had still enough space for the 3 pm tour so we bought those and got some snacks and coffee. There was still plenty of time before the tour and there was a 9 hole disc golf course and some good walking areas nearby so we had no trouble spending those few hours. At 2.45 pm we were back in the Real Journeys office and soon got on the tour boat.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu2LmRkvG7NyEkyUvE3aeBHutomISywk8Z1hFPbYh8Sx_uPAWiidrvKRZDRn5bot_aeUHJqd8bgYaFpYGs0xtBjCVliQWJ9cPKhH5o5A5zfjvvc-MZXQ9PCPGriXgbl5Iu2h-2MUfsrs/s1600/TAGW802273157302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1600" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu2LmRkvG7NyEkyUvE3aeBHutomISywk8Z1hFPbYh8Sx_uPAWiidrvKRZDRn5bot_aeUHJqd8bgYaFpYGs0xtBjCVliQWJ9cPKhH5o5A5zfjvvc-MZXQ9PCPGriXgbl5Iu2h-2MUfsrs/s400/TAGW802273157302.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the caves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
The caves were really cool, we walked there on platforms next to a underground river and saw glowworms and a waterfall. Few times we stopped to spot the worms and the guide turned off the flashlight. It was a little disorienting as it was pitch black and quiet, the only thing you could see were little specks of light from the glowworms. The coolest part was yet to come as we got on a small boat and in the darkness floated deeper in the caves where there were thousands of glowworms. It felt like floating in space, it was all quiet and those worms shone like distant stars.<br />
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We still had some days left with our guests and next we went back to Wanaka. On the way we drove up to The Remarkables Ski Area to remind ourselves what snow looks like and had a stop in Cardrona as well. After the drive we just chilled and threw discs at Lismore Park later on.<br />
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On March 1st there was a nice coincidence as we were having lunch (a massive lunch, Lake Bar's Taste Plate was HUGE!). Before 2018 New Zealand had won only one medal in Winter Olympics and this year they won 2 bronze medals, both by teens living in Wanaka. It was their homecoming party that day and they drove past us when we were eating. :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGxp2e0IUvsm7lojRk6lpeMkFcHLUsngJHs66vRQDRfj34ukGclbdvr0gWiZ2XtVJFgXgciQx7aX2LSspKP8l33rH8fijnwYlGIXtHboJ6MJPRqKGCIi_RWTPql4Bw99neJhcByqSY2M/s1600/starters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1455" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGxp2e0IUvsm7lojRk6lpeMkFcHLUsngJHs66vRQDRfj34ukGclbdvr0gWiZ2XtVJFgXgciQx7aX2LSspKP8l33rH8fijnwYlGIXtHboJ6MJPRqKGCIi_RWTPql4Bw99neJhcByqSY2M/s400/starters.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ordering food when you're hungry..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_r6pRpP83stto2eV8PEt9bxzGlw8bn09V2GKXB5pIZCy4dbQYFXeSH7z6bmnmlVZUX6W8Pwl1gqD2JszdEt9_b52oX9I108ckvYGoXQw9Cr8v-xZWqIi7bYDEBhNkM17PMNiD281_opU/s1600/Wanakalympics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="1537" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_r6pRpP83stto2eV8PEt9bxzGlw8bn09V2GKXB5pIZCy4dbQYFXeSH7z6bmnmlVZUX6W8Pwl1gqD2JszdEt9_b52oX9I108ckvYGoXQw9Cr8v-xZWqIi7bYDEBhNkM17PMNiD281_opU/s400/Wanakalympics.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wanaka Olympic medalists</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />The next day we did a little car trip to Blue Pools. There's some nice tracks going through woods and across the Makarora River and you have plenty of options to choose from, the one we took was 1,5 km one way. Back in Wanaka we went to have a small picnic in Eely Point and searched for That Wanaka Tree. In reality it didn't look like much but hey, the hype is real so we had to take a picture of course. Later that night we shot a round in Lismore Park and Sini got -1, you go girl!</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVI4jn1QxfCuc6tsKfEv3e9hZ9z4BRrqkLdYoR2VShpY3ax8HTUgk2oDSXxHNx6qpFIqXt44zfUBgpghys3M3EQRcJa3CJ15Vm8BEc4z3W4vMS5nfNI2rzJbyBa5U9SkmJRpW5PS6uew/s1600/thatwanakatree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1455" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVI4jn1QxfCuc6tsKfEv3e9hZ9z4BRrqkLdYoR2VShpY3ax8HTUgk2oDSXxHNx6qpFIqXt44zfUBgpghys3M3EQRcJa3CJ15Vm8BEc4z3W4vMS5nfNI2rzJbyBa5U9SkmJRpW5PS6uew/s400/thatwanakatree.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perhaps the most photographed tree in New Zealand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<div>
The next morning it was time to say goodbye to Wanaka. We drove to Arrowtown, a historic gold mining town located near Queenstown. The place was bigger and more touristy than I had imagined but had a nice feel to it. We did some shopping and continued our way back to Kingston. It was the last night for my mom and Kisu so we had booked something different to stay in, two yurts. It was actually a really comfortable stay.</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3coB2qb99JArDnib1J4JuUhN59n5klczsfVmnToZFZKOg2bP5z4sAlRY5lxEZVuuXdhnFpSonVgRfomZnolC4n4sGUZHDw9PwpjagqwKqZxkAA5E7lrfTZL7bzLANVKLzNN7NNKeDAK8/s1600/yurt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1455" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3coB2qb99JArDnib1J4JuUhN59n5klczsfVmnToZFZKOg2bP5z4sAlRY5lxEZVuuXdhnFpSonVgRfomZnolC4n4sGUZHDw9PwpjagqwKqZxkAA5E7lrfTZL7bzLANVKLzNN7NNKeDAK8/s400/yurt.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our yurts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />On Sunday we drove our guests to airport and went to a nearby cafe to play Tantrix, a tile-based strategic game we bought in Te Anau. Next few days we were in a slight slumber, the travel weariness starting to get us. We had tried to book a table in <a href="https://www.skyline.co.nz/en/queenstown/dining/stratosfare-restaurant-bar/">Stratosfare Restaurant</a> for our last night together with my mom and Kisu but they were fully booked then. I got a table for the two of us for Tuesday though. It didn't fit in our daily budget but it was still definitely worth it, the 95 NZD price included a gondola ride up the hill and the buffet had lots of delicious options to choose from.<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Gb0QmCzsbKFYyRXce_IEcQK44MgF2kWM3ykp9im-RYCgNUriJrsCd1enRqLeHRGEIsxu_QmXiWlhSpASFAD3FRsAnGYtChQPriJ0cs77gKjEHZgRwy2xPgRJqlHhKGkO2aWJ8xlteIs/s1600/strato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1455" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Gb0QmCzsbKFYyRXce_IEcQK44MgF2kWM3ykp9im-RYCgNUriJrsCd1enRqLeHRGEIsxu_QmXiWlhSpASFAD3FRsAnGYtChQPriJ0cs77gKjEHZgRwy2xPgRJqlHhKGkO2aWJ8xlteIs/s640/strato.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not too shabby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />The next day was our last in South Island and all about adrenaline. We booked a <a href="https://www.kjet.co.nz/our-trips/kjet-experience/">KJet</a> ride that took us from Lake Wakatipu to Shotover River, doing 360 spins and skimming over shallow waters. It was a one hour long ride and even if it the jet boat was going fast we could have enjoyed an even faster ride. It was fun still and after the thrill I had only half an hour to get to <a href="http://otautahitattoo.com/">Otautahi Tattoo</a>, where I had reserved a time to get some new ink on my calf. I'd planned it for a looong time but as it is a travel themed tattoo it felt right to have it done there on the other side of the globe. :)</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPz5LPnzpBIKpn2N80lubQhjj5XRF0vaTtg_titl-N9USwaFsKWlEP3F2es9q56-Cu_9zisZmEHzz4VJwZAzifXqgECYoDe6ykScBbpk4kNf_cUZulm0QTanvMX2JfaKPk2bXSgYucu1s/s1600/tat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1346" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPz5LPnzpBIKpn2N80lubQhjj5XRF0vaTtg_titl-N9USwaFsKWlEP3F2es9q56-Cu_9zisZmEHzz4VJwZAzifXqgECYoDe6ykScBbpk4kNf_cUZulm0QTanvMX2JfaKPk2bXSgYucu1s/s400/tat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting inked</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />- Matias<br /><div>
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Our route so far
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-75142293734810626282018-04-13T15:39:00.000-07:002018-04-14T02:40:37.306-07:00NZ NorthMe and Matias arrived to Auckland fairly late on 31st of January. We figured we'd need sim cards and some data as the two of us were planning to stay 6 weeks in NZ. After immigration etc we found booths for Spark and Vodafone and based on some Google search we decided to go with Spark. But at their store I learned that their sims may not work as they should with my Honor 8 so I ended up taking Vodafone and Matias opted for Spark with his Samsung Galaxy S7. They cost the same amount and had 3GB of data for 2 months with 200 min of calls and 200 sms in NZ. <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(We didn't notice any difference with the connections but with Spark you can get 1GB extra data per day in "phonebooths" a.k.a wifi hotspots in bigger towns, so that's a nice bonus)</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-_IoGxQeKuBFe02dPKCIhsXjrSxtqxVc47pUNBnJBxbelEJbSGQa4JDYjNr-Nik57mpphclZilsFs46h17LzZSVx555d-yTxBuoX1kiYsNrB2yjXs0rWnWJtpxwM6KMTZqSsRPTfmcE/s1600/spark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="873" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-_IoGxQeKuBFe02dPKCIhsXjrSxtqxVc47pUNBnJBxbelEJbSGQa4JDYjNr-Nik57mpphclZilsFs46h17LzZSVx555d-yTxBuoX1kiYsNrB2yjXs0rWnWJtpxwM6KMTZqSsRPTfmcE/s320/spark.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotspot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Getting away and to airport</h2>
<br />
The easiest way is probably to take the SkyBus which operates 24/7, but it does cost 18$ one way (17$ online) and it's a bit cheaper if you buy the return ticket also right away. But if you feel more adventurous, want to save some cash and have some time then you could take the 380 airporter bus and change once if you are going to/coming from the city center. Without local transportation card (AT Hop,<a href="https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/at-hop-card/buy-at-hop-card/buy-at-hop-card-online/"> also available online</a>) that will cost around 13$ and with Hop less than 8$. If you're traveling with more than two persons in a group, taxi/Uber would also be an ok option.<br />
<br />
So yeah, this time me and Matias hopped on the SkyBus and went to stay in <a href="http://www.booking.com/Share-uw2F8e">Bamber House</a> near Mount Eden and my mum and sis went to a hotel in the city. The first 36 hours we didn't get to do much as the weather was really wet and grey. After Australia's sunny days we thought "uh oh.. is it gonna be like this the whole 6 weeks..?" luckily that was not the case.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYV5qj4j5YFXh0zR3yc9GTYGU3oA_FhdxU5sm_UihRXfUC8QJtJrg4aTPuk3AXxin-2I_un5M0O85kMyKcJ64i7NMHDuaRY4zJ3pdUDWNKg-KWod2UjjMv82xAHiw83MMj25FWm6Tweg/s1600/auckland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="922" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYV5qj4j5YFXh0zR3yc9GTYGU3oA_FhdxU5sm_UihRXfUC8QJtJrg4aTPuk3AXxin-2I_un5M0O85kMyKcJ64i7NMHDuaRY4zJ3pdUDWNKg-KWod2UjjMv82xAHiw83MMj25FWm6Tweg/s400/auckland.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely weather in Auckland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
Cruising around</h2>
<br />
On Friday the sky opened up a bit and that was nice as we went to pick up a SUV from Ezi car rental. (We got a tip from a kiwi living in Brisbane and this was the company she uses the most. The car was a really nice last year's Toyota RAV4 with adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, back up cam and a smart key so we can definitely recommend this company).<br />
We drove to pick up my mum and sis, packed ourselves and our stuff to the car and started our journey towards Whitianga. We only stayed there one night and in retrospect two nights would have been better, but in short time one can only do so much.<br />
The drive didn't feel very easy. It was serpentine road up and down and when I wasn't driving, I got a bit nauseous. That was also the case with the backseat members so at some point we had to get our minds out of the serpentine and feeling sick (or cuckoo). So we started to play a game. A game that I remember playing as a kid, which gets kids (and adults) to focus on something else as the time flies.. what was it, you may ask.. :) So everybody picks a color and gets a point for every oncoming car that's the color you picked :) Soo simple! And then you just select a score like let's say the one with 21 points wins. My sis picked a successful color and was pretty much unbeatable the whole time. And the time went little bit faster 👍<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxjCykI-Oq6PwDFuNteT5WfR792aN5fcOtC6kerxzetY31ruk91ZcRcfCB-9NQIE1ywSvu3tPPCqt0yLUck6A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dybDAw677rDCaJypo4OQQnWAJgWtc19HeI5yCCJPa5P92Ewm6rLTm1BpxxZ7Vuv4jaAsZG0hDhJ8zb2-9iFBQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<h2>
Whitianga & Hot water beach</h2>
<br />
Once we got to Whitianga we unloaded our stuff (me and Matias stayed at <a href="http://www.booking.com/Share-HK7ZwY">On the Beach Backpackers Lodge</a> and mum and sis a little bit further from the beach) and then we decided to drive to Hahei Beach and more specifically to Hot Water Beach. We knew that there one needs a shovel to dig deep enough to get to the hot water and in order to make a nice pool for you and your mates. We didn't find a shovel rental place so we just went on checking the beach.. and what did we see.. loads of people digging and chilling on weird pits. We were little skeptical at first but as we walked closer and then stood in a hot water vein for a bit (like a second, it was freaking hot!) we were convinced that the water is actually really hot there! We found one abandoned pit and stood there for awhile. It was fun and enough for us. Our feet got a nice burn and must have gotten younger as the skin almost peeled off :D<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHZShwKO8kkUg7-ulbOji8YUWC1cj6-C0uA4sFArJ3vG-ysqrO5qUuGfKuHnfzJk-Zu8HZOwUyJpoOV8G7N6q4eL57rYhuY1ezdd-ZnnLdgHsKrK9NdigziS_JtpgpWV3IVy5yzwpk7Q/s1600/20180202_155914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHZShwKO8kkUg7-ulbOji8YUWC1cj6-C0uA4sFArJ3vG-ysqrO5qUuGfKuHnfzJk-Zu8HZOwUyJpoOV8G7N6q4eL57rYhuY1ezdd-ZnnLdgHsKrK9NdigziS_JtpgpWV3IVy5yzwpk7Q/s400/20180202_155914.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot water holes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In order to have a full hot water beach experience you should have some time, shovels and beer but we didn't have any of those so we headed back to Whitianga for some food and chilling.<br />
I really liked Whitianga and our hostel. It was basically on the beach so we finally got to witness a sunrise with Matias :) also with more time, we could have gone kayaking as they were free of charge in our hostel 👍<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAev9C153l409OqIchu_1-S1-YX-j_r53NyBTXtWy1obo71p_FeHo3d5guY9bDBcskoW-6O7zRO81kJuqSaq-vhptMjjKIKZJtCzX6tzkeQ4Jjpxemb9AtiGZkHLX392oa8z5hCE3l5dA/s1600/IMG-20180414-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAev9C153l409OqIchu_1-S1-YX-j_r53NyBTXtWy1obo71p_FeHo3d5guY9bDBcskoW-6O7zRO81kJuqSaq-vhptMjjKIKZJtCzX6tzkeQ4Jjpxemb9AtiGZkHLX392oa8z5hCE3l5dA/s400/IMG-20180414-WA0000.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot water beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglt9ZkRdtwNCXTzrt4e8HwDePkssRPjgiPE5SNVaRDPZobuOBmizVPO-anvRKcz6aCmcbA5uvB17F0xNMyEHNWcp1i3mcKQpAR-y4RsXSka3B5VsQlAxacvTnii291ekXqERQV9XgIyNg/s1600/nousu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="1552" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglt9ZkRdtwNCXTzrt4e8HwDePkssRPjgiPE5SNVaRDPZobuOBmizVPO-anvRKcz6aCmcbA5uvB17F0xNMyEHNWcp1i3mcKQpAR-y4RsXSka3B5VsQlAxacvTnii291ekXqERQV9XgIyNg/s400/nousu.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise in Whitianga</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<br />
The smelly town of Rotorua</h2>
<br />
After Whitianga we headed to Rotorua. The drive was something like 3 hours, mainly because of the serpentine roads. Getting closer to Rotorua the scenery got really unbelievable.. all the green humps and bumps with sheep and cows.. it just looked like Hobbiton and I could just imagine little hobbits wander around, drinking Hobbit beer and have fun all day long (except the few fellows with the ring and all..)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh85VWStqEHGYdrXVL4S-keCxfcxv_TIcJ3xqqPBkGaDSD1K3WMZE6ojPr49Urk3PfgAh8wPrkZS2hyphenhyphenEVn8LwW3OPDKEJtlX_cTBUTsBlxkgtvv03vVjTOtFN-pmU-CvQe0fnnlRJCedA/s1600/humps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh85VWStqEHGYdrXVL4S-keCxfcxv_TIcJ3xqqPBkGaDSD1K3WMZE6ojPr49Urk3PfgAh8wPrkZS2hyphenhyphenEVn8LwW3OPDKEJtlX_cTBUTsBlxkgtvv03vVjTOtFN-pmU-CvQe0fnnlRJCedA/s400/humps.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humps´n bumps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When we got to Rotorua we instantly noticed the smell.. it was like the whole town had eaten beans and eggs for breakfast :D<br />
Little by little we got used to the smell but still from time to time we got a little whiff of the interesting odor and wrinkled our noses a bit :D<br />
First day was for strolling around in the center and the in the park there. We soaked our feet in a thermal pool and witnessed some bubbly ponds. We didn't have too much time as mum and sis wanted to chill in their hotel's spa area and we wanted to see how did the Rotorua disc golf park look like.<br />
<br />
We have found out that there are quite a few disc golf courses in NZ, but it was a surprise that many of the courses did not have permanent baskets or proper tees. This one in Rotorua for example offered a good place to practice but it was difficult to find all the tees and we weren't able to play the whole round.<br />
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<h2>
Wai-O-Tapu thermal wonderland</h2>
<br />
The next day we woke up rather early and started the engine again. It was time to see some thermal action! In Wai-O-Tapu area there are few free options if you want to experience natural hot pools and see some bubbling mud lakes. There is also the thermal park that offers a chance to see a geyser show, or might I say geyser blow as they briefly talk about the geyser and then activate one with some sort of powder to make it shoot water high up. After the geyser show we headed to the park and it was like walking into some child's colored book. There were pools filled with boiling mud and water pools colored from bright orange to toxic green.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHriNC8Ne-Uz2B3k_8-s5R4R7E3kM0PllUCmNkjwJYzxDJrk8vjGTQRm9rLEjh4WQlJnZpKflfMcUV6L1g9FjPBR8nEY7Cf953wlyqrYmO9OJgsikJJlmuHtSZw80Qu6iEQ-lQN2b1nw/s1600/20180204_110903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHriNC8Ne-Uz2B3k_8-s5R4R7E3kM0PllUCmNkjwJYzxDJrk8vjGTQRm9rLEjh4WQlJnZpKflfMcUV6L1g9FjPBR8nEY7Cf953wlyqrYmO9OJgsikJJlmuHtSZw80Qu6iEQ-lQN2b1nw/s400/20180204_110903.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thermal pools</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On the way back to Auckland we still had a little bit of time left so we drove to the place where they had something called OVO aka putting one or two person inside a ball and throwing it down a hill (this was supposed to be the original place where they started this madness). Matias wanted to have it a go and had a good time sliding down the hill :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqt-TGcbrtQzZkM21jaaAx3wqoDC0mqi3w41JY3IhN9FsxqflIHt6OtFeVIGC3-KbMu_R8l8DjxGoiG83q7-ONFabzME4-qmXmudQaKDfPVEDvibxTzUxcfm4j0UUnsj9EEDHmb2TXAY/s1600/ogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="873" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqt-TGcbrtQzZkM21jaaAx3wqoDC0mqi3w41JY3IhN9FsxqflIHt6OtFeVIGC3-KbMu_R8l8DjxGoiG83q7-ONFabzME4-qmXmudQaKDfPVEDvibxTzUxcfm4j0UUnsj9EEDHmb2TXAY/s400/ogo.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for rollin'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h2>
<br />Auckland Auckland</h2>
<br />
For the last days together in NZ we rented an Airbnb in Kingsland. It was so nice that my mum and sis finally had their own rooms, we had two toilets (always a luxury) and a nice balcony with a view.<br />
We went sightseeing around the city and strolled around in the Winyard Quarter which was really pretty. Mum and sis visited the zoo as me and Matias tried to find a frisbee golf course from Monte Cecilia park, but there weren't any permanent baskets unfortunately so we just hung around there and threw some shots just for funzies.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarQBsj-3we58yDUuazTLZ_EA3WVJxKOHYGx0WGhSaUW8Pslqn8DR5CFrJarNr7zS3FMrzZmXG-lHwX_qG6nKkZnmcdW8bnNIlodeVrG_ONUmpzjF5ZYF_2jG3MkcV1RkiKK5LWKN3TMg/s1600/aucklandtaikingsland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="1552" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarQBsj-3we58yDUuazTLZ_EA3WVJxKOHYGx0WGhSaUW8Pslqn8DR5CFrJarNr7zS3FMrzZmXG-lHwX_qG6nKkZnmcdW8bnNIlodeVrG_ONUmpzjF5ZYF_2jG3MkcV1RkiKK5LWKN3TMg/s400/aucklandtaikingsland.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kingsland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AlWEgExcCVeWe_BdXxkLEyQwEaPbzSqeR0KQQLujm6IlhKFJieObDcpiCJfefG67EaVEOcw0maywDynQdzEMXTZNkic2nv1lFyhk1JPsaeJcVe1knvWeShkPH45ehvFRSHA1E3570IY/s1600/tottero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="1552" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AlWEgExcCVeWe_BdXxkLEyQwEaPbzSqeR0KQQLujm6IlhKFJieObDcpiCJfefG67EaVEOcw0maywDynQdzEMXTZNkic2nv1lFyhk1JPsaeJcVe1knvWeShkPH45ehvFRSHA1E3570IY/s400/tottero.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winyard Quarter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
All good things come to end and we had to say bye byes to my mum and sis. We had at this point two months to go and it sure felt really empty after they left.<br />
It wasn't fun to be in Auckland anymore as the place reminded of them and I missed them already. Luckily we only had one more day in the North and then it was time to fly to the beautiful South island :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyE6OKHsEsh22L4vYsy6B5SLjJXl-GFz2kqXgp9pm9KI9ZYY1hwwh5BcvVmuidaFXjSxcFl-doQPPE7BTsVb-JPR8aUKkIIO9JV0B2VYMrZlJI4HHR4FMdC5zTwBVe3Nsq1JyM7Wu1xc/s1600/sinistuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="1552" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyE6OKHsEsh22L4vYsy6B5SLjJXl-GFz2kqXgp9pm9KI9ZYY1hwwh5BcvVmuidaFXjSxcFl-doQPPE7BTsVb-JPR8aUKkIIO9JV0B2VYMrZlJI4HHR4FMdC5zTwBVe3Nsq1JyM7Wu1xc/s400/sinistuff.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travel light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
- Sini<br />
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-2143953417391120312018-03-16T00:52:00.000-07:002018-03-16T01:19:40.929-07:00Down under in Sydney Sydney - that place you always see on New year's Eve on TV with big fireworks.. that place that seemed so unreachable.. that was our next destination. And to make things even more exciting my mum and my sister were going to visit us also :)<br />
<br />
We rented a nice <a href="https://www.airbnb.fi/rooms/18695759?s=51">Airbnb place</a> near Bondi junction for the four of us which turned out to be a cool location. It was so easy to reach from the airport via train and access to Bondi Beach was very painless. Me and Matias got to the apartment earlier and got to sniff the area a bit and do some grocery and wine shopping before the travellers aka my mum the birthday girl and my sis arrived later in the evening :) it was so exciting having them there and seeing them after almost three months was just so awesome!<br />
We immediately introduced them to the world of Tim Tams and they brought me soo much Fazer blue and salmiakki ❤️<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BLdGn5_Gk99EUqQPbcEOKIILKZVfOZzpG1l0lvFeLg2dQVVCVX6FeFHrUt-6WkVKOn80u6JhLuwwtF3-8EzbxpXx5dfcRGYwM7Ed7rKIwNv2SCyXofXjwU-_iVuG5eIFuGebPw_IDpY/s1600/IMG-20180316-WA0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BLdGn5_Gk99EUqQPbcEOKIILKZVfOZzpG1l0lvFeLg2dQVVCVX6FeFHrUt-6WkVKOn80u6JhLuwwtF3-8EzbxpXx5dfcRGYwM7Ed7rKIwNv2SCyXofXjwU-_iVuG5eIFuGebPw_IDpY/s400/IMG-20180316-WA0007.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tired but a happy gang</td></tr>
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To my surprise the time difference and jet lag was not too bad for mum and Henna the next day and they were ready to head to the beach and get some sun action to their semipale and albinopale skins ;)<br />
We spent some hours at the beautiful Bondi beach and it was so hot. The sun was really burning!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzK7UQsvMOYpKhj16a3-QxkDI9eY2aZ1pUjYMJy8EY-SKkZsHj2oYB4xlgt2T7wlWxM1qYqKeF9YvmHf952mQShg8zRdgVm4gqfaGuWsys-uCE2xvNr9oTYNJ6wLQCE4OGCPZJQGkhcLs/s1600/IMG-20180316-WA0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="899" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzK7UQsvMOYpKhj16a3-QxkDI9eY2aZ1pUjYMJy8EY-SKkZsHj2oYB4xlgt2T7wlWxM1qYqKeF9YvmHf952mQShg8zRdgVm4gqfaGuWsys-uCE2xvNr9oTYNJ6wLQCE4OGCPZJQGkhcLs/s400/IMG-20180316-WA0006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">😘</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCw9fY_mSdvj4LsAYhyphenhyphenC9xbAUS8ApJuwiWp6Vva-l7Inx8gAlah3JHXQ7tzFdGGkLmBfWZiSqD7IXm_xN8YhLWtb4mUSmvjp51TwOtRhlaWau_0NIzaahwgcmH-EAdFIkla31EuMmWMQ/s1600/IMG-20180316-WA0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCw9fY_mSdvj4LsAYhyphenhyphenC9xbAUS8ApJuwiWp6Vva-l7Inx8gAlah3JHXQ7tzFdGGkLmBfWZiSqD7IXm_xN8YhLWtb4mUSmvjp51TwOtRhlaWau_0NIzaahwgcmH-EAdFIkla31EuMmWMQ/s400/IMG-20180316-WA0009.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bondi Beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After heading back to the apartment I felt chills like i was getting sick. I measured my fever and it was almost 39 degrees! I never get a fever so this was weird and my whole body was burning hot. Me and my sis started to wonder could it be a heatstroke or something more than just fever (assuming always the worst in my family 😁)..<br />
I started to take cold showers and then at two a.m. when I was shivering in the shower and my sis kept me company in the bathroom the night had a nasty twist.. All of a sudden there were baby cockroaches appearing from different places like crazy. Seriously! It was like, we killed one and then another one appeared and then we killed that one and another appeared and we killed that and then.. yea you guessed it, ANOTHER one appeared. I am so sorry to say that we killed at least 30 to 40 of those little motherf**kers in that very short period of time. Luckily this was the only big outburst of cockroaches.. and luckily they were the little ones and not the adult ones. We did however have few bigger cockroach visitors during our stay as it's a normal thing in Sydney we heard.. Yikes 😬<br />
<br />
The next day was for chilling as we didn't get much sleep that night and even though my fever was gone, we felt that it was better to take it easy. So Mum went to see the sights at the city center, Matias went to take the coastal walk to Coogee, Henna and i mainly chilled and tried to recover from the killing session. Later me and Matias binge watched Stranger Things season 2 from Netflix after he returned from the coastal walk.<br />
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<h2>
Australia day!</h2>
<br />
26th of January was a big day for Aussies and how lucky we were that we could experience this right there where the magic happened :)<br />
We headed to <a href="https://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-city/circular-quay">Circular Quay</a> that day and got to see the famous Opera House finally! Unreal! There was a lot of people gathered around in the harbour area and no wonder, there was a huge event going on with music and dance performances and the show was broadcast all over Oz.<br />
We were just wandering around, watching people, having snacks and following Ibis birds, enjoying the vibe. Mum was gradually getting really worried that we were on the wrong side of the harbour area as she suspected that the fireworks would be nicer at the Opera House side. We didn't think we had such a hurry and just wanted to take things more slowly.<br />
But eventually when we started to walk towards the other end, there was a sign that the Opera House side had reached it's full capacity already and they had closed the gates to the area. Unfortunate, but luckily we could get back to the other side where we were before. Or so we thought until we saw the gates closing before our eyes. Uh oh.. now that was a shitty moment :( Luckily we started to walk to the right direction and found another gate to the Opera House side which was still open and we got in! Hallelujah! We got to see amazing fireworks and listen to cool music at the same time. Though I must add that it was somewhat difficult to enjoy the fireworks as practically everyone had their cameras high up pointed to the sky the whole freaking time.<br />
Like come on people! Take few pics but put the camera or whatever device you've got and away and enjoy the moment and let others enjoy it too! You can get nice pics from Google so might as well take it easy okay? :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbH60kcHi4SVwoL18IUuX33cm0BkDj5-ldy_zgKZHRFEpcQumXNlhAMt_RULoANr5AsLulZ2RXqfNeW59NPoxT0QF2icRRzpXlEMbde5JvOmkyimOBkWTmIdc0mKI0OC1cNUXAbvhcnvI/s1600/20180126_192258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbH60kcHi4SVwoL18IUuX33cm0BkDj5-ldy_zgKZHRFEpcQumXNlhAMt_RULoANr5AsLulZ2RXqfNeW59NPoxT0QF2icRRzpXlEMbde5JvOmkyimOBkWTmIdc0mKI0OC1cNUXAbvhcnvI/s400/20180126_192258.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aussie Day! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkX5PEy4kYLiaVVgsLh9UU4O7wrih64MXDU-gsj844YiY1vAuYqiBftQNdDGL249HV8-rvIWWlyPsmiku9LpDqMgGVg1CpszVXv9Aspm2b7N8KPfP5_UyH-4V8OPC3JUTZdqQw-ODGg3g/s1600/20180126_194750%25280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkX5PEy4kYLiaVVgsLh9UU4O7wrih64MXDU-gsj844YiY1vAuYqiBftQNdDGL249HV8-rvIWWlyPsmiku9LpDqMgGVg1CpszVXv9Aspm2b7N8KPfP5_UyH-4V8OPC3JUTZdqQw-ODGg3g/s400/20180126_194750%25280%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light snack</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaBmR2rslDeocnGJgdmeUD0JwmeMraX9Z8bqV0dHapeuaO7tUgn78YGYpYuiut-QbsjaSb-cW8vgysKmYA-b5b3katCCjCDuwVg-cPHHAvn2hZokP0oLJTfiCwxDFkRVuBa7xUAIPgFw/s1600/20180126_205455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaBmR2rslDeocnGJgdmeUD0JwmeMraX9Z8bqV0dHapeuaO7tUgn78YGYpYuiut-QbsjaSb-cW8vgysKmYA-b5b3katCCjCDuwVg-cPHHAvn2hZokP0oLJTfiCwxDFkRVuBa7xUAIPgFw/s400/20180126_205455.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost perfect </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We were told that Aussie day is like Finnish vappu (Labour Day), so we wanted to have a beer in the city center and see for ourselves how drunk do these people get :D but actually we were really surprised that the city area was kinda not turned up. I guess taking it easy and having a BBQ at parks, beaches and people's houses is more common around here.<br />
But we went to have beers at <a href="http://cheersbar.com.au/">Cheers</a> anyway :)<br />
<br />
<h2>
Sightseeing </h2>
<div>
<br /></div>
The next couple of days we wanted to see more of the sights so we started from the city. We had beers at <a href="https://int.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-city/darling-harbour">Darling Harbour</a> and walked from there to the Harbour Bridge and got nice views of the Sydney Opera House. It was a good idea to walk because we got to see more of nice places along the way which you would not see if you were taking public transport. The journey felt longer than it appeared from Google maps. My sister's feet were so busted, but she pulled it through👍 It was cool to climb up the bridge and the views were awesome! My mum is actually little bit afraid of the heights so it was a bit of a challenge for her. Luckily, with a little help she also survived the adventure :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ4b_u7V2vREI-BPNyExFZWkIQArKJJszmLfxBXznFHZLZfY6UB68vfPPP8xdt00YEmeWZMxMs22HH783XFtWvGI895s3vZTWOOzauxkL5vLlmx46py96cyL7CGqARmxpaPwRHT2A7oE/s1600/20180127_185523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="1600" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ4b_u7V2vREI-BPNyExFZWkIQArKJJszmLfxBXznFHZLZfY6UB68vfPPP8xdt00YEmeWZMxMs22HH783XFtWvGI895s3vZTWOOzauxkL5vLlmx46py96cyL7CGqARmxpaPwRHT2A7oE/s400/20180127_185523.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The views from the bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRasFWMoiNjkDB1XZfBNRTDUJjvp7fHcwQEJqBRAfxWCHHARNZB8DZwQss2DpGKIS9NY3snJuFL9G4roLz0q6Hg0FnjmcT63u8cySk2Pm0idrZLZE0ogTfFBCr_-zTsDASbRPqWYc6u9A/s1600/IMG-20180316-WA0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRasFWMoiNjkDB1XZfBNRTDUJjvp7fHcwQEJqBRAfxWCHHARNZB8DZwQss2DpGKIS9NY3snJuFL9G4roLz0q6Hg0FnjmcT63u8cySk2Pm0idrZLZE0ogTfFBCr_-zTsDASbRPqWYc6u9A/s400/IMG-20180316-WA0005.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture this :) </td></tr>
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And once you get the climbing going and adrenaline flowing nicely you gotta continue, right? :) so the next day it was time to do a day trip to the Blue Mountains. The trip took something like 1,5 hours with the train and then we walked from the train station to the <a href="https://m.bluemts.com.au/info/thingstodo/threesisters/">Three Sisters</a> lookout point. (There were busses also, but it's nice to walk: it saves money and you feel better after all the Tim Tams 😅)<br />
At the Blue Mountains there are several walking trails (long and short ones) that you can take and see some amazing scenery along the way. The main attraction is the Three Sisters but we were just in awe of the whole place and took so many pics. There was also this cool ledge that you had good views and you basically stand on.. well.. nothing :) I tried to get mum there, all the way to the ledges outer side but that was too crazy for her this time, but someday maybe she'll do it :)<br />
We decided to walk one 1-hour track before heading back to Sydney. The first part of the trail went smoothly and it was so pretty, but dark clouds started to get closer and closer and then like a switch it started to rain.. a lot.<br />
Luckily we were very close to a shelter so we didnt need to take a shower there and then.<br />
All in all it was a cool place and the little city of Katoomba where the train stops was cute also. We would definitely recommend the place. Just maybe wake up early and head there earlier than we lazypants did (lazypants team = me, Matias and my sis).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbSO2rWEuAqVXKuE2fuJa_LmA91TH_wPxOiRmWRSQxNGiUMT_4IyIEtEL2r9vF2z-dR3WihKi53TFYByIfJ0WIu2aGkiPpWd2CQQQkuUd3CeTZtaydyqQ-kvOIUIZSJ2hzeq5r8OSK-U/s1600/20180128_161200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbSO2rWEuAqVXKuE2fuJa_LmA91TH_wPxOiRmWRSQxNGiUMT_4IyIEtEL2r9vF2z-dR3WihKi53TFYByIfJ0WIu2aGkiPpWd2CQQQkuUd3CeTZtaydyqQ-kvOIUIZSJ2hzeq5r8OSK-U/s400/20180128_161200.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Sisters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ceDGWsx9mrozzTr5-dHjaBMb_3zD_a0CjQ3REsiR3EDL1MrdfjL-PkQhfZTTLjX1WuGplixguqfY1crI8yhX86x1JAroscfSYhALEDu94iHgIWn697uTKf2IUzjHb2sIel2EfGHRLmI/s1600/IMG-20180316-WA0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ceDGWsx9mrozzTr5-dHjaBMb_3zD_a0CjQ3REsiR3EDL1MrdfjL-PkQhfZTTLjX1WuGplixguqfY1crI8yhX86x1JAroscfSYhALEDu94iHgIWn697uTKf2IUzjHb2sIel2EfGHRLmI/s400/IMG-20180316-WA0010.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two sisters </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi0C2tWPkU51LixLqhfD8LQpcsDfssmwEdYBTncN8BBGhqdvv2R0jrEe2-CrpwaeCEc2rfYQ9yewYPBEKd7fxhvd6mZqojOq-PqPkK0EUlNJb1ipazqkUtPvdPnlQWiXTt_CesXuRkBE/s1600/20180128_164121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi0C2tWPkU51LixLqhfD8LQpcsDfssmwEdYBTncN8BBGhqdvv2R0jrEe2-CrpwaeCEc2rfYQ9yewYPBEKd7fxhvd6mZqojOq-PqPkK0EUlNJb1ipazqkUtPvdPnlQWiXTt_CesXuRkBE/s400/20180128_164121.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One si.. Matias admiring the views</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozHWdMrCA6c_t0KSlVtRF2A94hWki6YPSuJFPoJLXC3gydLWmzAiHPGhMm3J9X97U8sgPVjpcL2YsPw0POEiS9-d7YQnLl2hDfX36LSiRvflqnJ3l4ZJqXGg77KONmcDCe7FPpQ4EKKk/s1600/20180128_164246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozHWdMrCA6c_t0KSlVtRF2A94hWki6YPSuJFPoJLXC3gydLWmzAiHPGhMm3J9X97U8sgPVjpcL2YsPw0POEiS9-d7YQnLl2hDfX36LSiRvflqnJ3l4ZJqXGg77KONmcDCe7FPpQ4EKKk/s400/20180128_164246.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our crew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h2>
Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk</h2>
One absolute must that our friends from Brisbane recommended was to do the walk from Bondi beach to Coogee. It is 6km long walk alongside the Pacific ocean and it passes by beaches like Bronte and Tamarama.<br />
Breathtaking views seriously! I can't believe that for some these are just a normal day to day hoods.. we kept stopping and taking so many pics :) we also got to experience a magical moment when we saw dolphins play in the water ❤️<br />
Ah, so nice and so burning hot again! Loved it! :)<br />
After the walk my mum hopped on a bus from Coogee as she went to see an opera and we went to do something fancy as well.. we had burgers and beers near the beach 👍<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Cjhw9lEztHsrumRMdv57DB2l5GtRUOizJnMW-aWzZZpegF30xVmHtILTz4pq6owQ0bsvj5KlFCBEXn2l27LMHRW3cyJg69ewXTDVXUN0zZmLRWAsqlT1LPh6FyEAt2alnQPcG73RXq4/s1600/IMG-20180316-WA0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Cjhw9lEztHsrumRMdv57DB2l5GtRUOizJnMW-aWzZZpegF30xVmHtILTz4pq6owQ0bsvj5KlFCBEXn2l27LMHRW3cyJg69ewXTDVXUN0zZmLRWAsqlT1LPh6FyEAt2alnQPcG73RXq4/s400/IMG-20180316-WA0003.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36W1Zd3tbMJvZqDtbTwRnll0iskRcexs9_PBnrB5zOZtLmjgOSeMRvtIqEcv0SpGOI1vjyM6gAimNMfnaKokg_vtvsUb1kz0rKl7VokI3HtjeFEwxZf7sFMe-CDhMEsQ7vUEGpdOu5q4/s1600/20180130_182224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36W1Zd3tbMJvZqDtbTwRnll0iskRcexs9_PBnrB5zOZtLmjgOSeMRvtIqEcv0SpGOI1vjyM6gAimNMfnaKokg_vtvsUb1kz0rKl7VokI3HtjeFEwxZf7sFMe-CDhMEsQ7vUEGpdOu5q4/s400/20180130_182224.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sydney "home" </td></tr>
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<br />
Our whole trip was a cool, pretty chill stay at Bondi junction :) our place was super close to shopping malls and train and bus stations so we had an easy access to everywhere.<br />
Lovely weather, sun, family, Tim Tams & Finnish chocolate and couple of cold ones.. and so many other things to be so thankful and grateful for ❤️<br />
<br />
P. S. Australia is btw also known for its tasty oysters. We hunted them during our stay but it wasn't until the last night we (Matias) got to taste some on the last night. There's many places to get them in Sydney, we chose <a href="https://themorrison.com.au/">The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room</a>. If you're feeling adventurous and want to try some it's best to head there on Wednesdays. They have 1$ oysters there between 6-7pm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdGnZ34yTpaEj8vWVfCJHUoDZFRsAHs0Oi0yfzltgF_pnhA_u7c-lcOl6zDkbPoZ_876uwp_Xp-xnnq_469pIoLuHFQVJT-KXPILIWH8hpFJbxN8H9xNgxCc0DGAOqOG8wysuaFuuW8M/s1600/20180130_215630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdGnZ34yTpaEj8vWVfCJHUoDZFRsAHs0Oi0yfzltgF_pnhA_u7c-lcOl6zDkbPoZ_876uwp_Xp-xnnq_469pIoLuHFQVJT-KXPILIWH8hpFJbxN8H9xNgxCc0DGAOqOG8wysuaFuuW8M/s400/20180130_215630.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The oysters</td></tr>
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Our next destination was New Zealands North Island with the same crew! Stay tuned :)
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- Sini<br />
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-90003726293459761452018-02-16T00:14:00.002-08:002018-04-13T15:57:03.994-07:00Down under in Brisbane We traveled from Surat Thani to KL to Bali and finally to Brisbane on 9th of January. The trip took almost 24 hours (we didn't get any sleep) and then it was time to meet the infamous Australian border officers at 6 am.. Matias had a wooden souvenir from Bali so first time ever it was time to take the red line. The process was quick and easy to our surprise. Few questions and sniffs from a cute lab and we were good to enter the country. After some coffee we pondered whether we should get our prepaid sim cards from Vodafone or Optus. Google search didn't give a clear answer so we ended up with Optus which had a better deal at the moment. With 15$ we got unlimited calls and texts in Australia and 10GB data. (It was more than enough, after 3 weeks still had 8GB left 👍)<br />
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We took an Uber from the airport and went straight to meet our new lovely Finnish friends Solei and Sirpa. We had been in contact for months with Solei but this was the first time actually meeting the sisters :) Also it was so lovely that they had Finnish coffee, cinnamon buns and Finn Crisps (with Salami) there waiting for us. We were in heaven!<br />
We chatted quite a bit and got to hear the valuable local tips on what to do around the area. Thanks to these ladies we also got to experience the local life little bit as Sirpa had arranged us to be housesitters and dog watchers for a week.<br />
Housesitting is quite common in Australia and I hear there is some pages where you can register and you might find free accommodation like that and end up spending part of your vacation petting cute dogs and chilling at the backyard in the sun with a pool. That's what happened to us anyway :)<br />
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We had a car in our use for the first week which was great. It was scary though.. to drive a MANUAL car for the first time on the other side of the road. The shift stick was on the left and the signal on the right and window wipers where the signal usually is... So like our new Finnish friend Mika says "the tourists always have the cleanest windows" 😂. Well we sure had it like that. We had some car trouble after visiting Aldi (local Lidl) for the first time.. After visiting the shop and buying all the food, the car didn't start! Oh crap! Luckily the car owner's dad lived nearby so I called him and he came to give some extra power for the battery and he had it replaced so we would not have the same trouble again.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our street with the quirky car</td></tr>
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<h2>
The north Strafford Island and Brisbane city exploration - week 1 </h2>
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Solei and Sirpa say that one of the best places to visit (on Earth I think :) ) is the Straddie island. It's easily reachable from Brisbane and especially from Cleveland/Ormiston area where we stayed. The ferry ticket costs total of 14$ or 20$ per person depending which company you choose. You could also take your car there but it's more expensive and there is no point if you are just visiting for one day. The ferry trip took something like 20-30min I think and then there was a bus waiting at the harbour, ready to take people to Point Lookout. The return bus ticket was around 10$ each and the trip to other side of the island took maybe 25min. At first the bus ride gave me a feeling that we were in Ruissalo Turku, with the exception of road signs about koalas and kangaroos 😎 When you get to Point Lookout you'll find a couple of restaurants, beaches and also good public toilets, but the absolute must is to do the Gorge Walk. I mean really, you gotta do it! Even after seeing the pics that Solei and Sirpa had, that could not prepare us for the views and wildlife we got to see.. It was astonishing! We ended up seeing two kangaroos, stingrays, seaturtles and one undefined whale/dolphin/shark creature. We could have spend longer time there, but we were worried about the little doggies so we just spent few hours on the island and went back to our petting and belly rubbing duties :) (these little dogs that were on our watch, Keksi and Pertti*, were so cute and affectioned! we really fell for them ❤️<br />
*The names of the dogs might have been changed due to protecting their privacy :) )<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing the Gorge Walk</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A roo</td></tr>
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The next day we hopped on a train and travelled 50 minutes to Southbank which is the cultural center and quite laid-back urban city area with many restaurants and a beautiful riverside. We wondered around for some time and ended up enjoying some greek food at Zeus restaurant and some live music at a park. It was very nice and with time and more money, we could have stayed longer there. But again the belly rubbing duty awaited us.. or so we though!<br />
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We arrived back home around 6pm only to find only one dog in the backyard.. that was weird at first but after looking all over the place, we realized that Pertti had gone missing! OMG! I called the owner's mom and she calmed me and said that Pertti has done it before and we should not worry too much about it or go look for him.. but we worried and went out looking for him and called his name hoping so badly that he would appear from somewhere.. but nothing :( after returning home we just sat by the open front door and waited.. and waited.. and waited. We must have looked so sad and desperate there. I started to search local missing dog sites from Facebook and at first we got nothing, but then at 10pm I saw Pertti's photo on Queensland lost pet registers site!! OMG we found him! Maybe 15 minutes after that Pertti was back home with us. We were so happy! Pertti on the other hand seemed very nonshallant and was playing it very cool. We learned that he had found the tiniest and quite high up hole from the fence and escaped from there and wandered a bit until a neighbour from the nearby street found him. Pertti ended up having great time with the neighbours and enjoyed some BBQ and got lots of cuddles also. Hah.. that little furball! Phiuuff luckily this story had a happy ending 🙏<br />
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After that episode we weren't too keen on going far from home and it was 37 degrees out so pool and some BBQ suited just fine for us. It was a wonderful place to housesit and the dogs, like I said, stole our hearts a bit. We also felt really good having our Finnish friends and the owner's parents support there as we tried the local life :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keksi</td></tr>
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<h2>
Week 2 </h2>
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I have been in Facebook groups like "Australian suomalaiset" and "Brisbanen suomalaiset" (local FB groups for Finns) and I saw this one guy telling that he rents cars with affordable prices. After chatting with him we learned that he also has a homestay option at their own home, also with affordable price and it includes the nice company of Mika and Elina, the other Finnish travellers and two beautiful dogs :) So with the help of Solei and Sirpa again and after saying goodbyes to the doggies, we hopped on a train on one afternoon and traveled to Kuraby, Brisbane. Mika came to pick us up from the train station so we didn't have to climb up the hill in the heat with all our stuff.<br />
Their place in Kuraby is nice and it gives you a homelike feeling as it is the actual home for Mika and Elina. Mika has helped various Finnish working holiday travellers to get their things going when moving here down under so we highly recommend starting your Brisbane life from here.<br />
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We rented an automatic car from Mika and put it in very good use from the get go as we drove to the Gold Coast. Our friend in Finland has said that Surfers Paradise is a marvelous place so we had to see it for ourselves. And it was pretty! Amazingly long coastline, lovely city feeling with restaurants and shops and highrise buildings. We spend few hours there and then continued our way to Currumbin and oh I found heaven there on the beach! Some spots had silky smooth sand so I could not do anything than just lay there for a bit. I was so offline :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1Jen3pWoaYQN7kfMFRd7uwFlJ-gOzkHNatdzOXvwsWpy2C2JXIktbPT5D9Ph69D8JVso3ZQ5znAn2JwfoFg8B-LOMvs88UVfgTcqbPEohDPD5zWMf_LlK_t2H2HluE9GAJMKFHwvrWw/s1600/IMG-20180216-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1Jen3pWoaYQN7kfMFRd7uwFlJ-gOzkHNatdzOXvwsWpy2C2JXIktbPT5D9Ph69D8JVso3ZQ5znAn2JwfoFg8B-LOMvs88UVfgTcqbPEohDPD5zWMf_LlK_t2H2HluE9GAJMKFHwvrWw/s400/IMG-20180216-WA0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the silky smooth sand</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee @ Hard Rock Cafe </td></tr>
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The next day it was time to do our duty as Finnish citizens and we drove up to the consulate to cast our vote in the presidential election. It was our first time doing it abroad so it was really an interesting experience. After that we drove to Mount Coot-tha as we heard that it would have an awesome view of the city. I think it would been even better to visit there around sunrise or sunset but the view was pretty cool daytime as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDc7YLQQ5ZZxnH5jeg_5QuiKloAggI_HUvlYOTSISiuaV2V9D0cAUIxfe9k8bEOpHx2yU7dxVpJ7ckPMs0e_2Z2Qoq0J-_hAinvlxrTVywgSGHCjueK_71H8gvcM7IDSKU3sTTDjA4OwU/s1600/IMG-20180216-WA0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDc7YLQQ5ZZxnH5jeg_5QuiKloAggI_HUvlYOTSISiuaV2V9D0cAUIxfe9k8bEOpHx2yU7dxVpJ7ckPMs0e_2Z2Qoq0J-_hAinvlxrTVywgSGHCjueK_71H8gvcM7IDSKU3sTTDjA4OwU/s400/IMG-20180216-WA0012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Coot-tha lookout</td></tr>
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After playing tourists it was time to put the gamefaces on and play some frisbeegolf (disc golf). Around Brisbane area, there are few courses but what was odd was that we were the only ones playing! We visited three different parks and in one of them (Logan) we met a local lady who said that in her 10-12 years living near the park she has never seen anyone play this game.. :o what the heck! I mean it's not easiest to get proper discs here as they don't sell them in the local sport shops (we googled).. but still! Though I must add that the weather was maybe too hot so maybe it's more like a winter sport for the Brisbanites.. well anyway we were amazed but extremely happy we had the courses to ourselves :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFiPbdy7H-V2PLcYuGr_Xaz87sNX1vvo1ZKNlRzv1ydJfOG04Djm9SbognVHCOk8RvshJR_Z5aVXnoBlf8Yvftnk4cDBTsRD2Q82SmhI7SMXYUhyphenhyphen51AzxNpvVDSuxh0Av7R91jZczVYY/s1600/20180118_181251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFiPbdy7H-V2PLcYuGr_Xaz87sNX1vvo1ZKNlRzv1ydJfOG04Djm9SbognVHCOk8RvshJR_Z5aVXnoBlf8Yvftnk4cDBTsRD2Q82SmhI7SMXYUhyphenhyphen51AzxNpvVDSuxh0Av7R91jZczVYY/s400/20180118_181251.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you spot the basket? </td></tr>
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<h2>
Weekend fun at Eat Street North Shore </h2>
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We heard from one fellow Finn at Mika's that there is this awesome event that happens on the weekends at the Northshore. It's like a food festival kind of, with something like 70 different stalls and many options to buy food from different parts of the world and enjoy live music and other shows at the same time, maybe with a glass of wine or beer. It costs only 2.5$ to get in. We first walked around and checked what the place had to offer and then decided what we wanted to eat.<br />
We started to get hungry so we first tried small hot dogs for starters and then headed to South American joint where I took a beefy bun and Matias had a plate full of everything. We finished the foods with a nice local Out and a Bout pale ale.<br />
We highly recommend to visit this place!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge portions, happy stomachs</td></tr>
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<h3>
how to get there? </h3>
If you have a car then you could drive there, but we definitely recommend the ferry option. I don't remember how much the ferry was because we payed with GoCards, but it was not more than few dollars. The trip took about 40minutes from Southbank and it was a lovely way to see the area. The way back especially was wonderful as you can see the city lights in the dark.
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- Sini<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane city lights</td></tr>
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-74608537348386079492018-01-25T19:09:00.000-08:002018-01-25T19:38:47.964-08:00Koh Samui highlightsWe spent 3 weeks in Koh Samui and had some days doing absolutely nothing, which is a good thing when you're traveling but doesn't give you much to write about. So instead of the usual day-to-day story I'm gonna share with you some of the best places we encountered. We stayed in Mae Nam, Chaweng and Lamai during our stay. Mae Nam is the most quiet one of those three. Chaweng and Lamai are bigger and more touristy with tons of restaurants and bars. They also have nicer beaches but it doesn't really matter where you stay if you rent a vehicle to get around.<br />
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<h2>
Hotels</h2>
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/1547786?m=19905">Ampha Place (Mae Nam)</a> </h3>
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This was probably our favorite and we stayed here on two occasions, three nights when we got to Koh Samui and two nights right before we left. The hotel is located in Mae Nam and there is no beach within immediate vicinity of the hotel but the pool is great and they rent scooters so it's easy to get around. The owner is really nice and helpful if you need information or ferry tickets etc. and the breakfast is good costing around 150 THB. Be sure to try their jams, mango-passion fruit was our favorite!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjib_X_1adOvHDmoC-RwOoLQfuLhqoxcbA1kGnueFc7xzWpA4BxILxH2KQNS3ilansdpgYxzBCg-7y-I3daJJQVhq1Ce7kd0Yb8RGxQoCbcLIQIDeoHvTuV-fQtQjeNdZJNgP_LlnZZ9CY/s1600/20180107_104626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjib_X_1adOvHDmoC-RwOoLQfuLhqoxcbA1kGnueFc7xzWpA4BxILxH2KQNS3ilansdpgYxzBCg-7y-I3daJJQVhq1Ce7kd0Yb8RGxQoCbcLIQIDeoHvTuV-fQtQjeNdZJNgP_LlnZZ9CY/s400/20180107_104626.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ampha Place's pool</td></tr>
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P.S. Leave a comment if you stayed in Ampha Place and found our blog after reading a certain book..<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/455082?m=19905">Chaweng Cove Beach Resort (Chaweng Beach) </a></h3>
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We wanted a little something extra for Christmas so we splurged on a little more expensive hotel and had a room with a whirlpool one of the three nights we stayed here. The location was nice right on the beach and the breakfast buffet kept our stomachs happy for a long time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgcS7fZ_5Sk65R542p4RRQThL8LYuaWpyWEVQc4kYG_QKqSnd4RddttgsOSdyMmevuXxR-tyDvYAEQl2YhVofm2YGUcIWCVyiV-KTqD72pLJJNfBg5cZrXjH2NqIRSfHpmTN5bTWfNDc/s1600/20171223_170755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgcS7fZ_5Sk65R542p4RRQThL8LYuaWpyWEVQc4kYG_QKqSnd4RddttgsOSdyMmevuXxR-tyDvYAEQl2YhVofm2YGUcIWCVyiV-KTqD72pLJJNfBg5cZrXjH2NqIRSfHpmTN5bTWfNDc/s400/20171223_170755.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our whirlpool</td></tr>
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/8137730?m=19905">The Spa Garden (Lamai)</a> </h3>
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The hotel was located a little further away from the beach but they have a free shuttle service and scooter rental so it didn't bother us. Their restaurant had some tasty dishes and there was a pool on the premises. The weather was not on our side so we didn't spend time there but it looked good enough.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/7735097?m=19905">Chaweng Skybar & Hotel (Chaweng)</a> </h3>
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Drinking beer and playing pool, that's how we spent our days in Chaweng Skybar & Hotel. It's right in the heart of Chaweng, short walking distance from the beach and other restaurants. They had some good happy hour offers, free pool and the room price was pretty decent considering the location.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZEFboe5LhbPT-JXq-eAjX71otaLDKRkLyt8F52mUb3juRdnqC20VLY21beZ3ycoCbIzK-gcLtOCzgYfNSSLdcygtiDydZq32rhCu4aPg_Sbz0iCKXkKoorsiMdLXRLN3DQ71M-Gs1-I/s1600/20171230_133728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZEFboe5LhbPT-JXq-eAjX71otaLDKRkLyt8F52mUb3juRdnqC20VLY21beZ3ycoCbIzK-gcLtOCzgYfNSSLdcygtiDydZq32rhCu4aPg_Sbz0iCKXkKoorsiMdLXRLN3DQ71M-Gs1-I/s400/20171230_133728.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyday routine </td></tr>
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/2549426?m=19905">PTK Residence (Chaweng</a>) </h3>
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Staying two nights here was nothing special. The pool was nice but that's pretty much it. The hotel was not bad but there's better options for the same amount of money if you're staying in Chaweng.<br />
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<h2>
Restaurants</h2>
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/5952751?m=19905">Roman Turkish Restaurant (Mae Nam)</a></h3>
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We got here on a quiet night but the place was quite lively. They had live music and the guy performing Nessun Dorma was VERY talented. The act alone was worth paying for so the fact that the pizzas were tasty was just an added bonus.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/10226980?m=19905">Bavaria (Mae Nam)</a> </h3>
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<div>
Go German! This is your place to get your sauerkraut and wurst if you're tired of eating Thai food all the time. You can find this sausagelicious restaurant in the middle of the Mae Nam walking street. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhl_jFxJQBuSejRYxADJCBVeDBkSRPCeMKbjF_lxzmIHr3XVD8qWHI_fWAAvC-B7x9YwoLCahOA5NWJKEKwaXcGguJTtLzwbOUzKIxSJRcQnSLPKEXLMIQYmwE7J0E-q1xM6WSh-XZlCc/s1600/20171221_173634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhl_jFxJQBuSejRYxADJCBVeDBkSRPCeMKbjF_lxzmIHr3XVD8qWHI_fWAAvC-B7x9YwoLCahOA5NWJKEKwaXcGguJTtLzwbOUzKIxSJRcQnSLPKEXLMIQYmwE7J0E-q1xM6WSh-XZlCc/s400/20171221_173634.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wurst! </td></tr>
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<h3>
<br /><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/4881331?m=19905">Noi (Chaweng)</a> </h3>
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We kept coming back to Noi again and again. Thai dishes were delicious and cheap and they also have a good selection of western food. I also appreciate the fact that they gave us fish sauce with chili without asking.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/6812957?m=19905">Stacked Samui (Chaweng)</a> </h3>
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You know those times when you just want to forget counting calories and that six pack that is just around the corner and just enjoy the flow of that delicious grease? Luckily you have these kind of places when you most need them. They serve heart attacks on a plate disquised as juicy burgers and fatty fries. It's better to go here hungry as the portions are big.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjFtEjXJUmkx3NNrwCsiy_k3lTZl_YoWKafy8YfgBizwLljZ4Yyqxf1ZS__LeyV3G1a3ov3cx8v9uYzB_cLBsOTf7WiFTeuXN_ctoR-yxJvGUsobqnNfIm5E21oCraa7mjqjR18Q0Iqc/s1600/20180102_160211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjFtEjXJUmkx3NNrwCsiy_k3lTZl_YoWKafy8YfgBizwLljZ4Yyqxf1ZS__LeyV3G1a3ov3cx8v9uYzB_cLBsOTf7WiFTeuXN_ctoR-yxJvGUsobqnNfIm5E21oCraa7mjqjR18Q0Iqc/s400/20180102_160211.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More cheese, please. </td></tr>
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/1652426?m=19905">Crystal (Chaweng)</a> </h3>
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This little place is located right next to Chaweng Skybar & Hotel. It's a shame we didn't find it earlier as the food here was absurdly cheap compared to the ones around it. Besides being affordable the food was mouth watering and the staff was overly friendly. This is a must visit if you're nearby. Five stars *****<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/10125897?m=19905">Green Cafe (Lamai)</a> </h3>
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This was our hotel's restaurant when we stayed in The Spa Garden. Savory Thai dishes and good selection of European dishes with reasonable prices makes Green Restaurant worth a visit.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/pwWDip3BAqt">Pamon Thai (close to Lamai)</a> </h3>
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Oh my, it makes my mouth to water just thinking about Pamon Thai. This is a small local restaurant just outside of Lamai. We were here two years ago and I was extremely happy to be back. Last time Sini didn't eat here but this time she didn't let the simple looks to fool her and had a go also. The dishes are amazingly tasty and they cost next to nothing. You have to have a car or a bike to get here but I highly recommend to give it a try and give your taste buds something to remember!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9loMl8W73pd32EXRPAaTLcaYX_YAYZR3qQu_XBE9OdxI05o3_scwpNkmC8K2mfMhyKicRTjbrdUu-lVraviIthdlDHYhIHdL4EF9dj1ElxmHsqVpMju_slAfXIIQZzHVxTB1GkzVBqPs/s1600/20171228_153750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9loMl8W73pd32EXRPAaTLcaYX_YAYZR3qQu_XBE9OdxI05o3_scwpNkmC8K2mfMhyKicRTjbrdUu-lVraviIthdlDHYhIHdL4EF9dj1ElxmHsqVpMju_slAfXIIQZzHVxTB1GkzVBqPs/s400/20171228_153750.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious! </td></tr>
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/13315092?m=19905">Coco Tam's (Fisherman's Village Bophut)</a> </h3>
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I don't know if it was because we were very hungry or what but the pizza we shared here tasted heavenly! I've eaten pizza all around the world including Italy and Sicily. I've had pizza to cure hangovers. I've had cheap pizza, expensive pizza, homemade pizza, all kinds of pizza. but still the one we ate makes it in my top 3, easily. The tropical cocktails and the setting were nice too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FXHGD9OXamUnXOMR1GBmrkwvoDuy3-AlzbkCxeBpNShen9dsUWy412ESxE_Qt0KScZISEVAivVBTGM4-TSZHP8RDlqNtA_jeDqEiuEMyUcjU3oz0jvaS9teO70-tWzeiH433Sd_JmvE/s1600/20180106_163840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FXHGD9OXamUnXOMR1GBmrkwvoDuy3-AlzbkCxeBpNShen9dsUWy412ESxE_Qt0KScZISEVAivVBTGM4-TSZHP8RDlqNtA_jeDqEiuEMyUcjU3oz0jvaS9teO70-tWzeiH433Sd_JmvE/s400/20180106_163840.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tropical Cocktails on the beach, not bad </td></tr>
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<h2>
Disc golf</h2>
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There are 3 disc golf courses in Thailand and two of them are located in Koh Samui so this is pretty much a perfect island :D<br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://samuidiscgolf.com/">Samui Disc Golf</a></h3>
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The place is easily reachable from Mae Nam and they have signs along the way. For 250 baht you can play as much as you want for one day and if you don't have your own plastic with you the discs are included for the price. The course is pretty easy and if you're not totally new to the sport there's a good chance for birdies. It's also suitable for beginners and they sell discs with unique stamps so bring some cash with you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxZGq371Vz_IE9bf6CMNsG383Zw8KpG2MiNWuBq_264NlDwv5ytwLUQdek_o1iVvXOZB6NvtopB8mDTkulAsYwTiVb25vCm_BycwCeDgaOTj7lCerV0w9vsfhDp_bwGq87aRNB-TdnnA/s1600/20171221_154839_020_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxZGq371Vz_IE9bf6CMNsG383Zw8KpG2MiNWuBq_264NlDwv5ytwLUQdek_o1iVvXOZB6NvtopB8mDTkulAsYwTiVb25vCm_BycwCeDgaOTj7lCerV0w9vsfhDp_bwGq87aRNB-TdnnA/s400/20171221_154839_020_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful place to play a round or two! </td></tr>
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.discgolfthailand.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAnabTBRA6EiwAemvBd4wuqV4OeRnC072hGYloI8JP4q9uV4_ML7UjIHkAq1a0pzR-_7CIyxoCvXQQAvD_BwE">Laem Sor Beach Disc Golf & Acoustic Cafe</a></h3>
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This course is aimed more for enthusiasts and more advanced players. You can find it with a navigator but be sure to check your location from time to time if you're arriving with scooter as they don't have any signs on the road. You can tell that Dave, the owner, is really dedicated to the sport as he has done an enormous job making the place playable. He seems like a nice guy and showed us around the course. They have 18 holes but only 9 were available to play when we got there. It was 200 baht for using the course and the level of difficulty was a bit higher than in Samui Disc Golf. It was a funny "coincidence" that we run into Finns both times we visited here :p<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrf8XiHVx6v8sLrJg78HRlCUGulTlntFdMP4VsW7e06oOUZTgDPf2jWPOJxMwQGP7coWck68el1fLtBhnCN7hxQ3ROFYj01fUaXOq4iQXbom6Vjd63IFt3laNaXq137k9TIZnHehE7NM/s1600/20171228_123257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrf8XiHVx6v8sLrJg78HRlCUGulTlntFdMP4VsW7e06oOUZTgDPf2jWPOJxMwQGP7coWck68el1fLtBhnCN7hxQ3ROFYj01fUaXOq4iQXbom6Vjd63IFt3laNaXq137k9TIZnHehE7NM/s400/20171228_123257.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He posed for us near the disc golf course </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FryzF7XhRKZgsWLMJDZfmKt3InlP_5hHoqERgysgrJ4m2BY5P1s-9s1Vo66Y7JXfuMmaYFi0qFy9cVTDO-KusMk78tE5O-muUCDAwXCkuyfT61Fs8bEM9itP7VsNvDZwNkfLEm6a_ng/s1600/20180103_172943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FryzF7XhRKZgsWLMJDZfmKt3InlP_5hHoqERgysgrJ4m2BY5P1s-9s1Vo66Y7JXfuMmaYFi0qFy9cVTDO-KusMk78tE5O-muUCDAwXCkuyfT61Fs8bEM9itP7VsNvDZwNkfLEm6a_ng/s400/20180103_172943.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She made that putt :) </td></tr>
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<h2>
Good to know</h2>
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<h3>
Songthaews</h3>
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Taxis are expensive, use Songthaews instead. They are pickup trucks with two rows of seats in the back of the car and they run all around the island. It doesn't matter how long are you going, the rate is 100 baht for farangs. For shorter distances you may want to bargain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeFxPjhy75Y2aVETztuZz4ZJD_G7FStqI-67z1qet9zB5R5hFkb3P2qS19sdwJvttSSYNg4l3pTqrv3aDUPgqCaQaXRFnZ0DYUvXDNW48Sz4zJCAk4UzbL1QOjtWpGHC1CpYqYyjm7zA/s1600/20171223_123131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeFxPjhy75Y2aVETztuZz4ZJD_G7FStqI-67z1qet9zB5R5hFkb3P2qS19sdwJvttSSYNg4l3pTqrv3aDUPgqCaQaXRFnZ0DYUvXDNW48Sz4zJCAk4UzbL1QOjtWpGHC1CpYqYyjm7zA/s400/20171223_123131.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the Songthaew </td></tr>
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<h3>
Make it spicy! </h3>
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Many restaurants adjust their dishes to be more tourist friendly and cut down the heat. If you love spicy food just ask for fish sauce (Nam Pla) with chili as every place has it no matter how westernized. The stuff smells horrible but tastes awesome, I love it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbu878iZa2ju8C9XKLd_cH7IuoSIZnaQ1vsrQ8j_eLXznj5tlh0AmOhomKwiA0NsPysU1k513GVTjB4t7Y3nyGmcNJAeBZQq9vcv0DO5mxvRxGpwtlsavncieMYvskF3rPz5dBf9N1G8/s1600/20180103_213608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbu878iZa2ju8C9XKLd_cH7IuoSIZnaQ1vsrQ8j_eLXznj5tlh0AmOhomKwiA0NsPysU1k513GVTjB4t7Y3nyGmcNJAeBZQq9vcv0DO5mxvRxGpwtlsavncieMYvskF3rPz5dBf9N1G8/s400/20180103_213608.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish sauce makes it better. </td></tr>
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<h3>
Fisherman's Village Walking Street market (Bophut) </h3>
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There's a ton of market stalls popping up in almost 1 km long Walking Street in Bophut. The market runs every Friday from 5 pm until late. You can buy pretty much everything here from sunglasses and t-shirts to souvenirs, spices, handicrafts, jewelry and much more for low cost. In addition to stalls there are free performances you can admire while enjoying the atmosphere. There's a big parking area if you're arriving with car or bike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjFbW0buqEjhEh7h6ijbr6kb4kEzpuGFoIoGhtosn1FlDLYcWdCLcSBPUHJIu6AoUjvpqKlUCOHvkduClQAuQZF0Mj2JHb3gsvzp1niRSbhUkyRCNYb20Ed7gdtqFVrNeAdxKLqQnP0Q/s1600/20180105_203815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjFbW0buqEjhEh7h6ijbr6kb4kEzpuGFoIoGhtosn1FlDLYcWdCLcSBPUHJIu6AoUjvpqKlUCOHvkduClQAuQZF0Mj2JHb3gsvzp1niRSbhUkyRCNYb20Ed7gdtqFVrNeAdxKLqQnP0Q/s400/20180105_203815.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday night market</td></tr>
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<br />
- Matias<br />
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-36548801780802784112018-01-07T06:35:00.000-08:002018-01-07T07:14:45.406-08:00Surviving Yogyakarta & BaliWe flew to Yogyakarta on 12th of December. We arrived late in the evening and all I saw from the taxi's window was empty streets, darkness and graffitis so I of course thought that this place would be dangerous. The taxi driver left us in some dark alley and said "walk that way" pointing in even darker and narrower alley. Well... ok cool I guess. We started walking and very soon we saw <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/5502138?m=19905">'Pondok Ijo', our guest house</a>'s name on the wall. We checked in and I discovered quickly that our room and particularly our bathroom was open. I mean open like when you sit on the toilet you can see palmtrees (bananatrees), spiders and the sky. Someone might say it's romantic, cool and like a healing environment (because there is access to nature. And for the locals it's normal..). Not me. No no no. I hid under the duvet and wanted so badly to change rooms. I do not like mosquitoes and all the other creepy-crawlies there are. I thought to myself "Sini.. please, next time remember that if the place's name has "Pondok" in it.. maybe it's better not to go there?!". The staff member was a cool and understanding dude and we upgraded to a better room which still had an open toilet and shower but the bedroom was more covered. Ok, I guess I can live with this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheasgZ2p4JtSXpTJVpVuOJHU6IU6e5MAfev5HQTKGinCaKkDaA7fInx0FRav1vSrWe992QIBI8pyTxHJottGrjSfRmVMpp2K6_7V_KxtJ58nB0SUW5_37mvAz1SVgi98v26YPR8fVuyz0/s1600/IMG-20180105-WA0017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheasgZ2p4JtSXpTJVpVuOJHU6IU6e5MAfev5HQTKGinCaKkDaA7fInx0FRav1vSrWe992QIBI8pyTxHJottGrjSfRmVMpp2K6_7V_KxtJ58nB0SUW5_37mvAz1SVgi98v26YPR8fVuyz0/s400/IMG-20180105-WA0017.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guesthouse in Jogja</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoy the nature while taking a shower</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KXGV0HNkmV9hQ_F0dlTe7hr2_8RgSKQ8BDFpk1Ww8TSeELrgmiF2aN1MDCyhRZf1mzy5MSg-sNt_pLk4_0CeD6IJbOboerRJZXJoC9PR8VmC6NYnsBUQv7wzwJmF4NdKG5iSw0q-FBM/s1600/20171213_105750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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The first night we just visited nearby restaurant <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/3836212?m=19905">Warung Bu Ageng</a> and ate the local speciality Nasi Campur ("mixed rice" with little bit of everything). After that it was mandatory to have a beer in our Pondok's restaurant. It was kinda nice there and we played with cards at least for an hour or so. There was soothing reggae playing in the background and all of a sudden I hear Finnish reggae playing! Whaaat.. :D it was Raappana's Kauas Pois and I was feeling all types of feelings then. I missed my family a lot but still it felt so cool to be there.<br />
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At night though I heard some weird noises which spooked me a little...<br />
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I had never heard such noise before but after a Google search and asking the hotel employee, we now know that it was just a big gecko! :) It was kinda creepy because we never saw it and didn't know what in the world was it but luckily geckos eat mosquitos so I was cool with that.<br />
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The next day we went walking and started our search for a post office.<br />
It quickly started to hit me that Yogyakarta is actually a huge city! I wasn't expecting that at all after checking the place from Google Maps and from some YouTube videos.<br />
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But yeah the post office was important because I have a godson so I wanted to send something small back home ❤️. Before finding the post office it started to rain and a becak (local rickshaw) driver appeared from a distance. He was calling us, offering shelter and telling that he would drive us around for one hour and it will only cost us 20000 rupiahs (1.3€).. Mad cheap. Our censors were on but the rain made us hop on and the first stop was the post office. The rickshaw driver mentioned some places we needed to visit but he talked so fast that we didn't quite get it (or cared so much at first). While we were in the post office Matias did some Google research (local prepaids are handy) that this cheap of a ride will end us up in a batik clothing store where we are almost oblicated to buy something. The rickshaw driver would get his share (commission) on the overpriced products. Then Matias paid the driver the 20000 rupiahs and said that we would continue by foot. The driver still tried that "No no no, don't you want to see the batik store..".. no we would not, thank you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkRpWTlVSqoQqa8KULLCFxV8i8EJZ3BoRsdRJFiJPwCI7nW4VHcpC8liOpIKOUWKCUK9hZ9_FnV8j6du50h7ofcPmJkbqQVHPPEtjCIgTCGmKIwo6KYlMKrcsCy2WkHuRIvQuGuii9WI/s1600/20171213_141630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkRpWTlVSqoQqa8KULLCFxV8i8EJZ3BoRsdRJFiJPwCI7nW4VHcpC8liOpIKOUWKCUK9hZ9_FnV8j6du50h7ofcPmJkbqQVHPPEtjCIgTCGmKIwo6KYlMKrcsCy2WkHuRIvQuGuii9WI/s400/20171213_141630.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the becak</td></tr>
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We continued our way by foot (despite the heavy rain) and ended up in some shopping district. After some walking around we got hungry and looked up this legendary pempek restaurant nearby. (Pempek is a savoury fishcake from Palembang, South Sumatera.)<br />
This particular restaurant was called '<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/7197840?m=19905">Pempek Ny. Kamto</a>' and we would definitely recommend it.<br />
We selected three dishes and two bottles of water and the total price was 64000 rupiahs so around 4€.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasty Pempek</td></tr>
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Later, after lots more walking we wanted to head back to Pondok and we happened to see a Grab pick up stand outside of a mall. "hmm should we finally try it..?".. "yes!" So that's what we did and it was so nice that we were able to see immediately what the about 20 minutes trip was gonna cost us. It was 25000 which is less than 2€. Cool! And just like that we were hooked on Grab :D (we had never tried Uber or anything similar before because it's not a consept that works well with the Finnish laws and regulations.. bummer).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWdUc0CpMjNS6dMMqI2rrNb4eas8oFPDr5OJ7bV64Wj8fX4yn2YJmhpiilzEMKhgK5SXPFVk2Yz9avtfFQlo60lwocZ0eTVwZoc9Kf_8Pooyhk09YwJko7iaDrc3H3BUb_CLHQrjQ1Hg/s1600/IMG-20180105-WA0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWdUc0CpMjNS6dMMqI2rrNb4eas8oFPDr5OJ7bV64Wj8fX4yn2YJmhpiilzEMKhgK5SXPFVk2Yz9avtfFQlo60lwocZ0eTVwZoc9Kf_8Pooyhk09YwJko7iaDrc3H3BUb_CLHQrjQ1Hg/s400/IMG-20180105-WA0013.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now how does this work..? </td></tr>
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<h2>
Superstar treatment at Borobudur</h2>
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For the next day we scheduled a trip to Borobudur which is a famous place and actually the biggest Buddhist temple in the world and rightfully a UNESCO world heritage site.<br />
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Usually sunrise at Borobudur would be the way to go but now, when it was the monsoon season it was better to go later (Or so our guide said and that was ok for us as we weren't too excited of the thought of waking up at 03 am..).<br />
We left at 8.30 from Pondok Ijo with our drivers (on motorbikes) and the trip took maybe like an hour. (We were actually waiting for a van and more people to join us but the bike ride was a nice alternative)<br />
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The entrance to Borobudur was 600000 for us two and the bike trip 190000/person so in total it was something like 30€/person. Quite expensive in my opinion, but I guess this was a once in a lifetime type of a thing so going over our daily budget was justified.<br />
When we entered in we noticed that people were staring at us and it looked like people were trying to catch us in their selfies. And then it didn't take long for a group of kids to surround us wanting to take pictures with us! I was overwhelmed by the situation. I'm guessing that this was something that could happen to a celebrity, but I didn't comprehend at first why it was happening to us :D<br />
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We learned soon that it was a school holiday and there were a lot of people visiting also from remote places where people looking like us don't often visit. So we were something new. I also later read that to some extent "Western" is considered to be something cool and a pale skin is something to be admired. Some might also believe that Western people bring good luck.. well hopefully we succeeded in that :)<br />
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There were at least 5 different groups of student that wanted to ask questions (practise their English with us) and to have pics with us. Of course we wanted to help them out! It was fun for us too :)<br />
But it took our time a bit so it was little hard to concentrate on the actual location of Borobudur.<br />
There were quite a few adults also grabbing us gently, wanting to take pictures with us. Some said few words and some only wanted to shake our hands.<br />
But yeah, it was all good. The kids in particular were so wonderful! So polite and cute and they were smiling a lot! Now based on our travels I could vote Indonesia for the new Land of Smiles :) (<a href="http://fewdaysoftravel.blogspot.fi/2017/11/a-travel-gem-in-andaman-sea-koh-mook.html?m=1">Koh Mook</a> could still hold the title for the Island of Smiles).<br />
After Borobudur we just chilled and the next day ended up changing Pondok to an Ibis hotel closer to the airport. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCnlRLr7cd8TnyM2G9DVxuILNLm9usKFSl9-7Gr8ArIPBmKyEhGAW9L8TtWXfj85r-tT7XFAl7A-QKTNh7XXC79d-IFduCWHOvhJ3j57RcXJQX3AXS9v9soHaFLFv4JqZn5yO8PX6h08/s1600/IMG-20180105-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCnlRLr7cd8TnyM2G9DVxuILNLm9usKFSl9-7Gr8ArIPBmKyEhGAW9L8TtWXfj85r-tT7XFAl7A-QKTNh7XXC79d-IFduCWHOvhJ3j57RcXJQX3AXS9v9soHaFLFv4JqZn5yO8PX6h08/s400/IMG-20180105-WA0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First of many groups who interviewed us</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aebB3FGu2yeGiJu3Ez0vnEuttreKjU9sI5OvruHAGSQFn3nA23TfVOsSLrzEYHAx3qSeD3_xkGDf0KeFbgsrxqwaRr5dKeFQVFLwrjHZt4jevkTO6eRFsS2LN4QQsjZU0t4-1nQA1Es/s1600/IMG-20180105-WA0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aebB3FGu2yeGiJu3Ez0vnEuttreKjU9sI5OvruHAGSQFn3nA23TfVOsSLrzEYHAx3qSeD3_xkGDf0KeFbgsrxqwaRr5dKeFQVFLwrjHZt4jevkTO6eRFsS2LN4QQsjZU0t4-1nQA1Es/s400/IMG-20180105-WA0012.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borobudur views</td></tr>
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<h2>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;">The Earth is shaking</span></h2>
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On the 15th of December I was having a chill video chat with my mum and granny when we felt the floor moving. It was bizarre. It felt like a cruise ship in Finland approaching the harbour.. but now there was no harbour to approach.<br />
It was an earthquake. I put my clothes on and said to my spooked mum that "everything is alright.. we are just gonna check what's going on and I'll call again soon..". I mean I definitely wasn't sure what was going on and how dangerous the situation actually was. This was our first ever earthquake but I just hoped that mum and granny wouldn't worry too much.<br />
After some confusion I learned that the situation was ok and we were safe. There were hotel employees on the corridor with Walkie Talkies for some while but there was no panic after some screams from the initial tremble. It had been an 6,7 magnitude earthquake in Java (the same island) but it was 250km away from us so it was ok to breathe and go to sleep. But I read that there might be some aftershocks also.. Yikes.<br />
I called my mum again and made sure all was cool. I got a little spooked and I slept with my clothes on and my small backpack packed that night being ready to escape if that was needed. Luckily we got to sleep peacefully.<br />
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<h2>
Bali</h2>
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The next day did not offer aftershocks for us luckily but we fled and flew to Bali. Yeahh.. that place with the infamous volcano. I must say I wasn't feeling too good about this. We stayed at Kuta beach, near the airport for a couple of nights. Unfortunately it was raining A LOT so we weren't able to explore the place as much as I would have liked. We did some walking around, shopping mall exploring and checking out the beach (so dirty that day!) but it didn't feel right to stay there longer as we had originally planned.<br />
We debated for awhile what to do next. It would have been only 200€ to fly to Brisbane the next day but the living in Australia is pretty expensive so we started to look for flights back to Thailand.. We realized that we would have to spend 500€ more (each) if we just went back to Thailand but it also felt something that had to be done and that is what we did.<br />
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I feel like I missed out on many nice places in Bali, but now I have reasons to return. Though I have to add that I hate that the taxi scene is so effed up there. I felt that there are too many scamming drivers and that the price system should be clarified. Grab would be good there also, because you get to know the final (good) price immediately with no surprises so it's nicer to give a tip and it gives a good feeling also.. like I can trust the system and the people.<br />
But they are trying to ban Grab in Bali and Matias read somewhere that some Grab drivers get their asses kicked there by taxi drivers so.. no feeling of trust there :(<br />
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All in all.. Indonesia is huge and it's so diverse. There are a lot of wonderful, polite and very hospital people in Indonesia so the good outs the scumbags and I will definitely recommend visiting Indonesia. But please look beyond crazy Jakarta and the touristy places in Bali, there are tons of places to explore, all different <span style="color: #d9ead3;">(try Lake Toba or Bukit Lawang for example -editor's note)</span><br />
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Selamat Jalan! (Goodbye in Malay/Indonesian language)<br />
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-Sini<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil08C2hjbxRpbKX8Ep8jBeX-NIwYXh2qarg8Iw47mqHNZjxKzdvETuZMVm3H3EDEWuWPSux3HBGqv6XquS51tIUbWlLP4P_xnv1F-Gx0dSX-yQWeMCpNAT3qxat9pmIfaRTojuIpDZ4Yc/s1600/20171217_155148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil08C2hjbxRpbKX8Ep8jBeX-NIwYXh2qarg8Iw47mqHNZjxKzdvETuZMVm3H3EDEWuWPSux3HBGqv6XquS51tIUbWlLP4P_xnv1F-Gx0dSX-yQWeMCpNAT3qxat9pmIfaRTojuIpDZ4Yc/s400/20171217_155148.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainy Bali</td></tr>
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P.S it was fun to learn that 'di sini" means 'here' :D I also saw signs at bus stops which said 'turun di sini' :) I understood that it means "jää pois tässä", "get out of the bus here".<br />
Cool language.. I wish I could understand it more.
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-19098742184126536292017-12-27T10:42:00.000-08:002018-01-07T03:20:13.493-08:00Singaponesia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There was a wild rumor that you wouldn't need to go all the way to the Melaka bus station to catch the bus to Singapore. So the night before we tried to find a place that sells bus tickets. After asking around and redirected three or four times we found a bus ticket counter inside Mahkota Medical Center but it was already closed. Next morning after checking out from our hotel we went back there and got our tickets before enjoying our breakfast in Jeta Groves. I also tried the skyfruit coffee there this time and enjoyed the bitter, kind of grapefruity, flavor.<br />
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The bus ride took about four hours and the bus stopped two times at the border. First in Malaysia's side and then in Singapore's. After border formalities we went to the exit and looked for our bus. It took us some time to go through the border since there were plenty of people and the bus left almost immediately after we had hopped on. There were still some people missing but the bus driver didn't seem to care so it's strongly recommended to take good care of your ticket, because you can just hop on to the next available bus. Also take care that you don't leave anything on the bus while crossing the border.<br />
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The final stop was at Golden Mile Complex, where we walked about five minutes to Nicoll Highway MRT Station. There we withdrew some money from an ATM and took the metro to Chinatown. Singapore is an expensive place and we're on a budget so we had booked our stay in a capsule hostel. I've stayed in few capsule places but what was neat about this one (Chic Capsule Otel) was that they provided smart TVs in every capsule with YouTube and other apps. Much appreciated. We left our luggage in the hostel and made our way to Gardens by the Bay near Marina Bay Sands. We strolled around in the beautiful surroundings and found a place for Sini to enjoy her Fazer Blue chocolate which she had guarded for all our trip. It was Finland's 100th independence day so the moment was on point. After taking our time enjoying the garden we continued our walk but couldn't prepare for what was waiting for us next..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWH5PV6BB3ZICutSpQC27YBua08XKGT9gXLYAmSR1YpbERz6JlQXt86sjJOTeZR_zZ5-IZE7l8iUp_HS8EGrwtU_G2943f3trwFZF_jap6k8pyepb00mY_1MRMiGi5LW0aE8GZJppmpGY/s1600/20171206_210852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWH5PV6BB3ZICutSpQC27YBua08XKGT9gXLYAmSR1YpbERz6JlQXt86sjJOTeZR_zZ5-IZE7l8iUp_HS8EGrwtU_G2943f3trwFZF_jap6k8pyepb00mY_1MRMiGi5LW0aE8GZJppmpGY/s400/20171206_210852.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Finland! </td></tr>
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We were really surprised to see a 100th independence day of Finland celebration event there in the middle of Singapore. As we stood outside the doors taking some pictures, a lady came out and asked if we were Finnish. We said yes and after chatting a while she handed over gift bags to us which was a wonderful surprise. With the gift bags in our hands we went back to the hostel. I drank my blueberry lemonade found in the bag and we went to bed soon after. As I mentioned there were those smart TVs so it was time for YouTube and some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/JomezProductions">Jomez Pro disc golf</a> before getting sleep.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznK2lyVXMl_S-Z1sGz_a2ovvf9ExqRRN-bgD4188usv56QXZ4TLWbRtaKM9VUN5PzHs3vT531BGKS5SPE0FDYKBoO1EImRo9YHzH4gL7u95IhyNFeRnkOLOiicyZ6AhxWj6hOx33weWg/s1600/20171206_211638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznK2lyVXMl_S-Z1sGz_a2ovvf9ExqRRN-bgD4188usv56QXZ4TLWbRtaKM9VUN5PzHs3vT531BGKS5SPE0FDYKBoO1EImRo9YHzH4gL7u95IhyNFeRnkOLOiicyZ6AhxWj6hOx33weWg/s400/20171206_211638.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gift bags</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnzp7-gcqXZkpZMStSO7lgOD6yuIeGWvGxbFd19XDU8uyDgz8cchXz5H1Mj-XzNV1gDvQujllfKmrUN_AyoPP9C3HL-4Ub9v6JDe-mOH9dT3Tyvl0Sh-3pIi7trSXS5SjJ44wtEfOB3g/s1600/20171207_004424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnzp7-gcqXZkpZMStSO7lgOD6yuIeGWvGxbFd19XDU8uyDgz8cchXz5H1Mj-XzNV1gDvQujllfKmrUN_AyoPP9C3HL-4Ub9v6JDe-mOH9dT3Tyvl0Sh-3pIi7trSXS5SjJ44wtEfOB3g/s400/20171207_004424.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disc golf time!</td></tr>
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<h3>
Unpleasant wake-up </h3>
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Waking up in the small hours guns pointed at you and police telling you to get to the lobby with your passport is not an ideal way to spend your night. Well beggars can't be choosers I guess so we went downstairs and waited with other guests for a while until the police said we can go back to sleep and apologized for the trouble. Later we found out that there was somebody with a knive in the other room they were looking for. He had robbed or stabbed someone in the street or so we heard. What a nice first ever hostel experience for Sini. :p<br />
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We survived the rest of the night without interruptions and made our way to the Maxwell Food Centre before noon the next day. Singaporeans love their food and the place was packed. There are over a 100 stalls serving various delicious dishes so there is no shortage of choices. If you google Maxwell Food Centre one thing you come across certainly is Tian Tian Chicken Rice. They're very famous and the lines for the stall are exceptionally long. Anthony Bourdain has praised their chicken rice and Tian Tian has been mentioned in the Michelin Guide under Bib Gourmand (excellent price-quality ratio) two years in a row. Sini got to the end of the line for the chicken rice and I went to get something more.. unusual. I found a stall that served cheap Kuay Chap. Pig organs, intestines, all that good stuff with some flat white rice noodles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLAPGk4eLwib7dzzgi8st-jyqRu5kcFiMfn9P3Lp3goi1n6M8SVapTdlCcCvu3-9PqmV96iX-YY232AgbcQ_QRbbchVGRPb0kLBeaJS9xr4nHu5jvyBMU0jFPEhw0C20AH693bhQHt8A/s1600/20171207_130612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLAPGk4eLwib7dzzgi8st-jyqRu5kcFiMfn9P3Lp3goi1n6M8SVapTdlCcCvu3-9PqmV96iX-YY232AgbcQ_QRbbchVGRPb0kLBeaJS9xr4nHu5jvyBMU0jFPEhw0C20AH693bhQHt8A/s400/20171207_130612.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suspicious piece of organ</td></tr>
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After the meal we crossed the road and visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. It has a free entrance and some interesting architecture so it's definitely worth a visit if you happen to be nearby. After the temple we took a metro to Little India and did some shopping in Mustafa Centre. There's all kind of stuff imaginable and the shopping complex is open 24 hours. 2 meter long usb extension cables were something like 5 euros a piece so we bought two of those. I'm using one right as I write this, very convenient when power outlets are sparse in the hotel rooms. It was raining outside so we didn't stay around Little India after getting out from the shopping center but instead went back to the hostel.<br />
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I've had an itch for a good barbecue after <a href="http://fewdaysoftravel.blogspot.fi/2017/11/bangkok-not-so-dangerous.html?m=1">visiting Best Beef in Bangkok</a>. There was a Korean BBQ buffet restaurant within a walking distance from our accommodation and we were hungry later that night so that seemed like a good idea. The price wasn't too bad but the food was just mediocre. I had 5 plates regardless :D<br />
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We had to change our hostel next day because the one we stayed in was fully booked. We made our way to the new place located in Kampong Glam area and left our stuff there. Then we wandered in the area looking around for breakfast and later took the MRT to Marina Bay and walked there for a while. We also went to Marina Bay Sands and bought the tickets for the Skypark, then stayed on the observation deck through the sunset enjoying the views. We took a ride back to our hoods and went to a cat cafe we'd seen earlier. They seem to be quite popular in Asia so it was nice to visit one especially because the employees seemed to really care for the animals. It was getting a little late so after the cat cafe we had bitterballen and dinner across the road in a Dutch place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fEncEb43oWb7EULeWJ8dnp7GoSgGatJCgf7TaWn8Ggthv6UQxZMQPRxFGLCqKPH0YCPg-b2uWxZ4LM-DCEC_IqHXLJmjbMCFV2tH807vpnJTNONmS3Q9v2h0Ydc_M4UC2DOMIZwzdRY/s1600/20171208_191454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fEncEb43oWb7EULeWJ8dnp7GoSgGatJCgf7TaWn8Ggthv6UQxZMQPRxFGLCqKPH0YCPg-b2uWxZ4LM-DCEC_IqHXLJmjbMCFV2tH807vpnJTNONmS3Q9v2h0Ydc_M4UC2DOMIZwzdRY/s400/20171208_191454.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Marina Bay Sands</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhFZQOmR7SyRvRgV0xuMDf727P_7Zv64_trcjGmHhszS8mrGoJppIg-G2E7gKuzZ5eG3N8QLMV0BTNxnM6rjesbND9-bjnLu_SVXWEInpIhO3VwnUKtzLWGxPomBnnS24GLZFSV5o64E/s1600/20171208_204721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhFZQOmR7SyRvRgV0xuMDf727P_7Zv64_trcjGmHhszS8mrGoJppIg-G2E7gKuzZ5eG3N8QLMV0BTNxnM6rjesbND9-bjnLu_SVXWEInpIhO3VwnUKtzLWGxPomBnnS24GLZFSV5o64E/s400/20171208_204721.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meomi Cat Cafe</td></tr>
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Changi Airport was a place of joy. Sini found Finnish chocolate and there were free foot massage chairs which felt heavenly after so much walking previous few days. I read afterwards that there are also couple of full body massage chairs in terminal 3, so maybe next time.. Although the airport was good, we had a flight to catch and few hours later we found ourselves in the bustling city of Jakarta in Indonesia. There were plenty of people trying to offer us a taxi ride from the airport but we ignored them and got to the Blue Bird taxi line. It is the most reputable taxi company in Jakarta and they always use meter. Doing some research before arriving to a new place can save you a pretty penny. And taxi scams are one of the more popular ones.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxors3oI2ISoUaylbPLvFwsfy1byEFYnhzxsnQz6o_W9MlDe6gZfPkNXnZAMl9qy-LFHqJPGqQXoVZa-tLMHHym_OZXIq65Vd4jpPE9nd6uXQjtyv5B9y5P7EGuSqxYKdvGpejHfVtCNs/s1600/20171209_114320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxors3oI2ISoUaylbPLvFwsfy1byEFYnhzxsnQz6o_W9MlDe6gZfPkNXnZAMl9qy-LFHqJPGqQXoVZa-tLMHHym_OZXIq65Vd4jpPE9nd6uXQjtyv5B9y5P7EGuSqxYKdvGpejHfVtCNs/s400/20171209_114320.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sooo good</td></tr>
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We were greeted by a cheerful "Yello!" when we got to our hotel (Yello Harmoni Jakarta). The neighborhood was a little sketchy but the hotel itself was really nice with overly friendly staff. It was also raining almost all the time so we spent most of our three days in Jakarta in the hotel. We had the mandatory Hard Rock Cafe stop so I could expand my collection and we visited some shopping malls also. There was a free computer corner in our hotel so I made good use of it and updated the blog. It still took a surprisingly long time just for a one post even using a computer. The last night we got to admire a violent thunderstorm (myself in front of the window and Sini from the bed under the blanket) as our room was high up. We just hoped the weather would get better the next day when we had our flight to Yogyakarta..<br />
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- Matias<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJT8hVGec2ULxujrUiPB58-7IY3qQxb5BJOvMlOgoeTYUXNNuUsqs0wo2Qvu0PQtJwfEei-oIRVi7XL9EszbQazX4Qf4GqA8Ahkim_OySRx0A5Qge1ah5oi8SdhYO98vMXwWkjMTlnWg/s1600/20171211_135532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJT8hVGec2ULxujrUiPB58-7IY3qQxb5BJOvMlOgoeTYUXNNuUsqs0wo2Qvu0PQtJwfEei-oIRVi7XL9EszbQazX4Qf4GqA8Ahkim_OySRx0A5Qge1ah5oi8SdhYO98vMXwWkjMTlnWg/s400/20171211_135532.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm approaching</td></tr>
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-29308570148760647462017-12-20T10:18:00.000-08:002017-12-26T04:43:09.951-08:00Kuala Lumpur and Melaka adventuresIt took around 3-4 hours to get to Kuala Lumpur from Cameron Highlands. The serpentine road made me feel uncomfortable and nauseous but luckily i survived without puking 👍 The less pleasurable trip was not too pricey, 35 ringgits/person if I remember correctly.<br />
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The driver dropped us at KL Sentral where we took LRT (or was it MRT..) to Masjid Jamek station. We stayed in Cosmo Hotel which was a gem. It looked like an upscale hotel but our first three nights where 20€/night and the two after that 30€/night. We didn't have a window or breakfast but that wasn't a problem at all*. The location was a huge bonus! At Masjid Jamek there is a lot of big fast food restaurants like KFC, McDonald's and Burger King which is nice especially when some of them are open 24h. But also closeby is for instance a historical beef ball place where people visiting KL should definitely go and eat. Place is called Soong Kee's Beef Ball Noodles and we went to eat there on our first day in KL. The place has a long history, it's been open since 1945. They have other branches also nowadays but this is the original one. And the prices are great! My soup of balls was 7 ringgits so little over 1€ and the soothing broth was so nice, warm and tasty. Thumbs up!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq78g5WjEYlXCnReWCpg7sxT7hzoFX9mIwJsnPWb0gdqNH7ylIlOWVtgQ0KrBnlqER_7kbTDRrY4Rz0Lsn9kajM_EX-nnFNJj8CtFiR85_Mtf0Js66lrqJoQjIvVT5OAx2O6hzSxto1ZQ/s1600/20171129_194722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq78g5WjEYlXCnReWCpg7sxT7hzoFX9mIwJsnPWb0gdqNH7ylIlOWVtgQ0KrBnlqER_7kbTDRrY4Rz0Lsn9kajM_EX-nnFNJj8CtFiR85_Mtf0Js66lrqJoQjIvVT5OAx2O6hzSxto1ZQ/s400/20171129_194722.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef balls</td></tr>
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The next day it was time to see the Petronas Towers. I was surprised how much I wanted to see them. I guess because It's such a landmark and I never thought I'd see them or could be able to travel this far, but there I was! And I was excited because I knew beforehand where to take nice pictures in a less crowded area.. ;) <a href="https://youtu.be/bKQCmoCicOA">Thanks for the tip Psychotraveller</a>! (the photo below was taken later that night at the same spot)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicB_hyQlMTEEGe8u3zzuUZrfGIVkj1vMcMpO3DhMvOwBUp_Jb7CyPqp6AKpoCKkNhb2v-stOAN4cXZRN_8V41ljYu1AACTgKIGz758lFJKeSZufkrPqsyDrJX1IPPQvwfcvyTVUQnkfbI/s1600/IMG-20171220-WA0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicB_hyQlMTEEGe8u3zzuUZrfGIVkj1vMcMpO3DhMvOwBUp_Jb7CyPqp6AKpoCKkNhb2v-stOAN4cXZRN_8V41ljYu1AACTgKIGz758lFJKeSZufkrPqsyDrJX1IPPQvwfcvyTVUQnkfbI/s400/IMG-20171220-WA0005.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello KL! </td></tr>
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After the photoshoot we entered the mall inside and ended up to Wendy's for a quick bite to eat. Then we measured with our eyes that the KL tower could be a walking distance away so there we went. Or well..actually we went inside the tower after a nice hike to the top of the hill but then after looking at the prices and the weather and comparing the pros and cons and our daily budget we decided to pass. Later that evening we went to Jalan Alor which is a famous street with street food stalls and restaurants. Matias had done his homework again and knew exactly what he wanted to eat. It was a bowl of glorious Bak Kut Teh. I say glorious because it was shiny and reflected light because it was so fatty 😂 Bak Kut Teh is meaty pork rib tea soup and this version had lots of the nasty <span style="color: #93c47d;">(awesome) </span>white stuff. I am not such a big fan of lard so I had Mee Goreng instead.<br />
After the meal Matias had some space in his stomach still so it was time for us to taste the durian fruit for the first time <span style="color: #93c47d;">(I've spend over a year of my life in SE Asia and I feel that I should have done this ages ago, but oh well.. - Matias)</span> . There were many durian stalls in Jalan Alor and we chose a place with some locals eating there. The guy selling there was first trying to sell the whole fruit to us! Luckily when we said that's it's our first time, he went to get a smaller portion from the fridge.<br />
He still stated that this durian that he is selling is 'the best'.<br />
"Wow.." we thought.. I mean how lucky are we that from 200 different durian fruit variations we found 'the best one' immediately.. 😂🙈💩 Anyway.. Matias took a deep breath and gave it a go. It looked nasty! :) He described the durian to taste like rotten bananas, garlic and some old cheese. I have to say I wasn't excited to try the fruit, not after that analysis.. I was going to pass the taste test, but I figured I might as well to have a try. I took a tiny hint of it and can now cross it from my check list.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEP5sy3vosaigg0EKT0HfJ8rz2y5yQmJcM7zMJplxmWfxxPJBivRp59nKK_gdRTB05GJQQpu_SDWrIUDZdnz2l5J9NGiI_bD8mQBdZD8tnoM2RTk3KT2mebZ9LGSGU1tFhDopNNwCPxA0/s1600/20171130_224037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEP5sy3vosaigg0EKT0HfJ8rz2y5yQmJcM7zMJplxmWfxxPJBivRp59nKK_gdRTB05GJQQpu_SDWrIUDZdnz2l5J9NGiI_bD8mQBdZD8tnoM2RTk3KT2mebZ9LGSGU1tFhDopNNwCPxA0/s400/20171130_224037.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fatty deliciousness <span style="color: #93c47d;">(in editor's opinion ;D)</span> of Bak Kut Teh</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB58omAK99eBg_Kep7eFMRYirQweBRTZ6y4PQCodrYq7ERa6UEuZeN9ty1md5EbFv37_8GsUvR4tiRS5xlnSM74oQfJBLGvviJ8jJjA_LlXnGlZceh7CkHHjzE4vRgMmYYYg-iwrY-G9Q/s1600/IMG-20171220-WA0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB58omAK99eBg_Kep7eFMRYirQweBRTZ6y4PQCodrYq7ERa6UEuZeN9ty1md5EbFv37_8GsUvR4tiRS5xlnSM74oQfJBLGvviJ8jJjA_LlXnGlZceh7CkHHjzE4vRgMmYYYg-iwrY-G9Q/s400/IMG-20171220-WA0004.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Movember man with some durian</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The next day we had a slow start and just walked around. We did go to wait for the train to Batu Caves, but it was quite late already and the train wasn't going so often so we figured we'd go the day after instead.<br />
Well.. The next day we ended up at the same location but unfortunately my stomach was hurting and I had a feeling I wasn't ready for the stairs, monkeys and a potential runny tummy in the public.. So I decided to head back to the hotel for some rest and Matias continued to the caves.<br />
The place was great I heard and you could climb the 272 stairs and see the huge statue (world's tallest Murugan statue) and the big Cathedral Cave for free. The Dark Cave tour cost a bit but Matias didn't go take it. But all in all, the place is definitely worth a visit if you're in KL.<br />
Later that day I was feeling a bit better so we went to get some soothing beef ball noodles again and to get Matias a cheap haircut.<br />
This one indian salon was just a block away from Cosmo and the haircut cost 12 ringgits (about 2€). Not bad! It even included little head massage and popping neck and ears.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtYA30_HT86cT08LEOy4gyB1SF0IPsGdhco0EYLSENYJ4uZsf45BClNR-jd39WPVWpKNaVj_7BnOdr1co1xdvs6i1mktFH2AdBq3PzV8JcCf6XcCL6Ur5nVOhniCoAiz_Ijl834dEfwI/s1600/20171202_162240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtYA30_HT86cT08LEOy4gyB1SF0IPsGdhco0EYLSENYJ4uZsf45BClNR-jd39WPVWpKNaVj_7BnOdr1co1xdvs6i1mktFH2AdBq3PzV8JcCf6XcCL6Ur5nVOhniCoAiz_Ijl834dEfwI/s400/20171202_162240.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batu Caves entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiowtflpRfsiprK4LoX0hK2g12nOQxdv2GiJqiFLUf4WfUAcjSIJByfC9LtE-4OfVuZcJ2paDmyrhmqtdyl0Xs0DizqbcWJSsFmb1azhNQp3FABijR65XG-J6bS4ZAA86pbty2LFi7Vo/s1600/IMG-20171220-WA0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiowtflpRfsiprK4LoX0hK2g12nOQxdv2GiJqiFLUf4WfUAcjSIJByfC9LtE-4OfVuZcJ2paDmyrhmqtdyl0Xs0DizqbcWJSsFmb1azhNQp3FABijR65XG-J6bS4ZAA86pbty2LFi7Vo/s400/IMG-20171220-WA0006.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Precision job</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
Horror House and the Monsoon 360 </h2>
<br />
Hmm the headline could be referring to <a href="http://fewdaysoftravel.blogspot.com/2017/12/crossing-border-to-langkawi.html?m=1">Pondok</a> and geckos or bad weather but not this time :)<br />
Matias wanted to go to a water park last time when we were in Thailand two years ago but we missed it that time. He'd mentioned that it would be nice to visit one this time and there happended to be one in KL with some good reviews. So we took the LRT to KL central and worked our way to the taxi counter. We paid the taxi there and then we went outside the building to wait for the taxi to arrive. The trip cost 29 ringgits which was reasonable considering the distance to Sunway Lagoon.<br />
First, two hints for you if you plan to go there.. Check their website for discounts. For example right now until the end of the year you can get tickets for one third of the normal cost on Tuesdays when booked online. Also before going to the park, buy the ticket online and PRINT it, you'll save 20 ringgits (4€). The ticket cost something like 70€ for two of us which felt crazy because for example the flight from Langkawi to Penang was cheaper!<br />
The park consists of amusement park, zoo (with tiger, lions and so much more), extreme park and water park. So you get a lot with that one ticket.<br />
The amusement park was maybe a hint more directed at the kids, but we did enjoy the rollercoaster and the river adventure. You should btw always believe the signs there.. If you think that "You will get wet on this ride" might mean just a few springles of aqua, well... 😅<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLVacCTj2YWGELiOOsymj_tuaZOo_3E3jCe5jWMPom2x5RB0iM2uKKdOm5fnR_7JnUdegsAq2aVxByhPaSFZiD-awpdhAHpqO_fW-mrz4P6Ue78Y3dwA70CgqdIirBAOIXASmH0jmfIs/s1600/20171203_144258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLVacCTj2YWGELiOOsymj_tuaZOo_3E3jCe5jWMPom2x5RB0iM2uKKdOm5fnR_7JnUdegsAq2aVxByhPaSFZiD-awpdhAHpqO_fW-mrz4P6Ue78Y3dwA70CgqdIirBAOIXASmH0jmfIs/s400/20171203_144258.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You will get wet on this ride </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We also noticed a Ghostbusters building at the amusement park and lots of people were lining up there. I wanted to see what it was because I've seen the movies and they are fun and wicked (except John Malkovich.. He gives me the jitters). So yeah, I was expecting something funny in this house. It didn't even ring a bell that there was a sign that said 'horror house' in that building.. (hmm reading signs might not be my strongest side). We entered in and the staff member there said "do not touch or hit the ghosts. They are there just to scare you but won't touch you". "Wait, what?"😱 Omg where am I putting myself in to!? I mean I have played with the thought that it would be cool to visit this kind of a place were the wookiemans (and wookieladys) are real people but I could never ever actually go in one of those places! 😱 Wooopsie-effin-huupsie me 😂 I could not back down anymore so I just clinged on to Matias with my arms and legs and closed my eyes 😂<br />
It took maybe 20 minutes and we walked in different spooky rooms and narrow alleys and got spooked. Many times. I also notice that I have a high pitch in my screams.. 😅 After making out alive from the horrorhouse we headed to the water park. The park was huge with lots of fun and also very scary slides! Especially the Monsoon 360 was horrible in a cool way! It's a very kamikaze kinda slide. You step on to this ladder or plastic floor if you will and then you hear "three, two, one" and the floor under you just disappears and you go down! Fast. Very fast. 😂 Haha it was scary but also the feeling and adrenaline after you made it out alive was amazing!<br />
But a Muslim country combined with water park aka less clothes.. it got interesting. There were a lot of people wearing swimsuits that cover their whole body... and not too many fellow caucasian people wearing less so you can just imagine that I felt kind of naked in my bikini.. I had a scarf with me so when walking longer distances I could cover up, but not everywhere.. There were signs that had pictures of outfits that are considered ok and luckily this was a sign I kinda understood. Bikini is ok at Sunway lagoon but maybe next time I would consider wearing something more covering like a sporty t-shirt.<br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">The rides worth mentioning:</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Monsoon 360 - you wear a sliding thingy on your back and go to a tube standing on a trap door almost a vertical drop under your feet. Then there's a countdown and off you drop. Adrenaline rising one!</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Jungle Fury - riding down a slide with a big water tube. It accelerates greatly towards the end and does 180 turn. A fast ride but also a nice one.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Vuvuzela - Malaysia's largest water slide with a giant funnel. It was actually a quite violent ride so don't go if you have any back problems or similar conditions.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyDAFziKFpWFQbXOMVHZ_Yjcjbr8D0PPDYmaonVqMBH0uYkOn47gTEFeZoNB-1SozpZvmYYqohIDjPJR3122N9NOEx-QgOqrihDR7T1HAicOSUFwtwgV7IHpYFKxOTD0yz7ZKKYhJlb8/s1600/NLL-Monsoon360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyDAFziKFpWFQbXOMVHZ_Yjcjbr8D0PPDYmaonVqMBH0uYkOn47gTEFeZoNB-1SozpZvmYYqohIDjPJR3122N9NOEx-QgOqrihDR7T1HAicOSUFwtwgV7IHpYFKxOTD0yz7ZKKYhJlb8/s400/NLL-Monsoon360.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monsoon 360. © 2017 Sunway Lagoon Malaysia</td></tr>
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<h2>
Melaka/Malacca</h2>
<br />
After KL we were heading towards Singapore by bus and we figured that the 6 hours journey was not for us. I had seen this place Melaka (also spelled Malacca) in Psychotravellers videos maybe a year before and the name kinda stuck in my head. The city is a UNESCO world heritage site and its 2 hours south from KL and the trip only costs 20 ringgits for two people (4€). Not too shabby. But after arriving to the bus station it occured to us that the taxi scene was crazy there! 5km trip cost 20 ringgits even though they were fixed prices and we felt that 10 would have been a sufficient price. The taxi people just laughed at us and said that they need to cover their way back to the station also.. "what!?!" :D We were accompanied by a Belgian guy and it dawned on us that Grab would be the way to go. But for us to use Grab (Ubers Asian cousin), it would be handy to have a local number and an access to the internet. We didn't have it at that time so 20 ringgit it was.<br />
<br />
We stayed in SGI vacation club which was 30€/night. A nice hotel, excellent staff and ok location if you want to visit big malls and have some famous chicken rice balls (which you should do). But this area is a bit further from the famous Jonker street, the river and from the famous attractions like Christ Church, Stadthuys (oldest Dutch building there) and museums.. and Hard Rock Cafe. And the rickshaws with lights, Hello Kitty's and their 110 decibel music..<br />
Melaka is a beautiful city and it has some homelike feeling also because the river runs through it just like in a even more beautiful city called Turku ❤️ (ok, I might be a little bit biased on this one).<br />
<br />
Here is a link for the <a href="https://youtu.be/MFiG02VV0Eo">psychotravellers video</a> that got me interested on this place.<br />
Definitely worth the visit, but please.. get the local number (cheap) and use Grab.<br />
And when you fancy something to eat, keep these places in mind:<br />
<br />
Ee Ji Ban Chicken Rice Ball<br />
Jeta Groves (have some Laksa and skyfruit coffee there)<br />
Wild Coriander<br />
The Geographer (for the beer and good times)<br />
<br />
* KL - We didn't have breakfast at Cosmo but closeby there are some good cafes like <a href="http://loklcoffee.com/">LOKL</a> and <a href="https://m.facebook.com/lucyintheskykl">Lucy in the Sky</a> 👍Nearby LOKL there is also a great 2hour express laundry service 👍<br />
<br />
- Sini<br />
<br />
P.S We want to say Merry Christmas to all of you! Hopefully it's a good one and there is enough snow in Finland so Santa and the reindeers have easier time this year ;) Ho ho ho!<br />
<br />
Terkkuja tuulisesta Thaimaasta ja<br />
Hyvää joulua! Lämpimiä halauksia perhe ja ystävät ❤️
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-1135048486347547092017-12-11T09:27:00.000-08:002017-12-11T09:41:27.078-08:00PenangI've lived in Penang for six months or so when I did my student exchange in USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia) back in 2008. So if <a href="http://fewdaysoftravel.blogspot.co.id/2017/11/bangkok-vibes-peanuts-and-vaccinations.html">getting to Bangkok felt little like coming home</a>, getting to Penang definitely felt like it too. There is a taxi counter in the airport arrivals hall and they have list of destinations with fixed prices. It's recommended to use the stand instead of hailing a cab outside the airport, because some drivers easily "forget" to use the meter and you can get ripped off. So we got our taxi tickets for 44 ringgits and got to our hotel in George Town. After checking in and chilling a bit we headed out to find some food. After 5-10 minutes walking we hit the jackpot as we found a little street filled with different stalls selling all the local specialties. Penang is a melting pot of cultures and it also means a diverse and delicious food culture. I ended up ordering some Hokkien Hae Mee from an old Chinese lady who didn't speak English almost at all. The dish consisted of some noodles, chicken, prawns, fish cakes and some other not-so-easily-recognizable ingredients in a savory broth. I had some Dragon fruit juice to go with that which actually cost more than the food but 14 ringgits (2.9€<span style="color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">) </span>for the whole set was not bad at all!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9qa_31He_WB73Jky_PKtKC6XFohzM0-j8l8xmhURyj8Z1_if2-cAf0hts17yuHYs1T363IDL_Ssh9LRpp3T2CyXknmeZcCe-TiPhLMtXTYu7VqNoPtSkzPb16HhtIs_k4leypuLQt0U/s1600/20171124_173123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9qa_31He_WB73Jky_PKtKC6XFohzM0-j8l8xmhURyj8Z1_if2-cAf0hts17yuHYs1T363IDL_Ssh9LRpp3T2CyXknmeZcCe-TiPhLMtXTYu7VqNoPtSkzPb16HhtIs_k4leypuLQt0U/s400/20171124_173123.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the food stalls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdOa-yVlRooGDwpGxtT1ZtS3zoa2qW5psfe29AxcjCxoojbrOvNriHPmji8U63jPlEdN2B02pc04653zrqFcYbfSXMkDulU_OrEFbfcrUkymZbl49mPTNxVAgj1WFWdJ2A9pDwWqXOAo/s1600/20171124_175102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdOa-yVlRooGDwpGxtT1ZtS3zoa2qW5psfe29AxcjCxoojbrOvNriHPmji8U63jPlEdN2B02pc04653zrqFcYbfSXMkDulU_OrEFbfcrUkymZbl49mPTNxVAgj1WFWdJ2A9pDwWqXOAo/s400/20171124_175102.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slurping it</td></tr>
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After the meal we continued our walk, the next stop being <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komtar">KOMTAR</a>. It is easily seen and recognized from all around George Town, but as far as shopping goes there is very limited options and many of the shops have shut down. We spent some time there wandering around in few interesting shops we found and then continued our way along Jalan Penang towards George Town nightlife. It had been two hours since the food stall stop and we were getting pretty hungry so we went to <a href="http://www.redgarden-food.com/content/home/index/site:redgarden-link:718">Red Garden</a>, a hawker center with dozens of food stalls to choose from. I went with roasted duck and Sini had some Nasi Goreng Pattaya, both dishes tasting delicious. Our stomachs full we walked to the nearby bar area to enjoy some liquid bread before taking a taxi back to our hotel.<br />
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The following day we went to Gurney Plaza, a nine stories shopping mall with 380 stores. Beats KOMTAR. Other than that we just took it easy and stayed at the hotel and later went to Red Garden again. </div>
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There's a ton of street art scattered around George Town and we went on a hunt to find some on the third day. Chinatown was a good place to start so there we went. Sini had saved a screenshot of a art map which we used to find some of the paintings. Locals were very interested about the art pieces also and there were many groups doing some spotting around the city's tiny streets. We also spotted Chew Jetty across the street and went there for a walk. There are Chinese clans living in villages built on stilts above the water and Chew Jetty is one of the most visited ones. The jetties were formed in 19th century when Chinese immigrants came to Penang and worked near the port and nowadays they have UNESCO world heritage status.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
After spending some time in the jetty we slowly made our way to a scooter rental place I had spotted earlier online. This time they actually asked if we had international driving licenses and after presenting them we got our scooter pretty quickly. It was a reputable company with plenty of good reviews but it's still always a good precaution to take pictures of the scratches and other damage the bike might have so they don't blame you later for those and ask for money. We made our way towards my old hoods in Gelugor. During my studies we lived in Sunny Ville and although I've visited Penang after that I've not been to our old place since. Luckily they didn't ask us anything at the gate and we got to the premises for a short visit. The cafe had changed a bit but otherwise the place looked pretty much the same as in 2008. From Sunny Ville we rode to Bayan Lepas, Balik Pulau and took the curvy hill road back to George Town. After returning the scooter we had dinner in Red Garden. Yes. Again. Hey don't look at me like that, if Anthony Bourdain has eaten there they must have some pretty darn good food!</div>
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<div>
We still had one stop before going to sleep. We went to KOMTAR's bus station and got our tickets to Cameron Highlands for the next day. Across the station I spotted a place selling Cendol and that was on my list for dishes to try so I got a bowl of it. As weird as it looks it's actually very good even though I'm not usually a fan of sweet things. There's coconut milk, grass jelly, shaved ice and tons of palm sugar. Malaysian version also contained some red beans, yummy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4UHgpcTaQeGqAJrPu13Q9bl2PEB-Dhk2Qv84Bu24TSh7YRHitymlmC0DLAY92WZJqKif5F7D6VnGEY-2LivRk8ji-w6xz5fZrt-0lFmK0MuHwGuNHEItbWC-eUPQfxCnIdnIRxQjasM/s1600/20171126_131036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4UHgpcTaQeGqAJrPu13Q9bl2PEB-Dhk2Qv84Bu24TSh7YRHitymlmC0DLAY92WZJqKif5F7D6VnGEY-2LivRk8ji-w6xz5fZrt-0lFmK0MuHwGuNHEItbWC-eUPQfxCnIdnIRxQjasM/s400/20171126_131036.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This might take a while..</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fsutUMTKK0KeWmYdtwu47jf-7CUbbij1SdO9wE-dm_9Dj3auAZDFEN-bOMmzS_6U9MyVhD3b100kMT28QdAWtZD3F_U84A3g3N-HEcxk9m3peS9xdlvS28IiDNQpIXlIOMTHaeBxQOQ/s1600/20171126_161524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fsutUMTKK0KeWmYdtwu47jf-7CUbbij1SdO9wE-dm_9Dj3auAZDFEN-bOMmzS_6U9MyVhD3b100kMT28QdAWtZD3F_U84A3g3N-HEcxk9m3peS9xdlvS28IiDNQpIXlIOMTHaeBxQOQ/s400/20171126_161524.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunny Ville :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjRlgpgKUaYe5kzFURkhAtppw1B6PH9Es6vhz-kB_fTxM79YfXTKM0wUDq3c0614LJRbH4_OACL2tx4T7RL9DqQkC8XZ8gh0DJqXQ2FJv7aO8pKrqL2eAqpz_AObhGD2B273ThsqrSSA/s1600/20171125_231053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjRlgpgKUaYe5kzFURkhAtppw1B6PH9Es6vhz-kB_fTxM79YfXTKM0wUDq3c0614LJRbH4_OACL2tx4T7RL9DqQkC8XZ8gh0DJqXQ2FJv7aO8pKrqL2eAqpz_AObhGD2B273ThsqrSSA/s400/20171125_231053.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@ Red Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEBTX3rY10-XwCuHcPkTQMgKbw98fNg1eGTOu3TdM25tGmLYsO3Epke8GqG2vdMh2tCGgsRqElzM2KhdQy6LSQ0AOnkCEjUBm9Ejdb9C_JiH7Hbs8Pz1mVtHC95N171vdBpNsHXBK9e4/s1600/20171126_203138_017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEBTX3rY10-XwCuHcPkTQMgKbw98fNg1eGTOu3TdM25tGmLYsO3Epke8GqG2vdMh2tCGgsRqElzM2KhdQy6LSQ0AOnkCEjUBm9Ejdb9C_JiH7Hbs8Pz1mVtHC95N171vdBpNsHXBK9e4/s400/20171126_203138_017.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cendol</td></tr>
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<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
A short stop to Cameron Highlands</h2>
<div>
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<div>
We were supposed to be in front of the bus ticket booking office 10.30 am, but being too optimistic about how long would it take to get there we were running late. Our Grab (similar to Uber) was there around 10.45 am and then we run with the guy we booked tickets from to the minivan and it actually took maybe another 15 minutes before we left the station. The minivan took us to the other bus station and it took over an hour before our bus got there. On top of that the bus ride took over four hours so it was getting dark already when we got to Tanah Rata in Cameron Highlands. We had only rough conception of where our hotel (Heritage Hotel) was located so it took some time to find it. We asked around and after a few missteps we found the place. It was getting late so we looked for a place to eat dinner nearby and called it a night.</div>
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The next day we had some daylight to explore the city. It definitely has some Europe vibe to it as the buildings look like they're taken from some village in the Alps. The climate is also cooler and it was a nice change after the hot and humid weather we'd had so far. We looked for a taxi and asked how much would it be to visit the nearby tea plantation. The driver said 20 ringgits for the return ride and a hour of waiting there. That sounded good so off we went to the Cameron Bharat Tea Estate. The views were nice and we took a walk down also. After coming back up we had some tea at the restaurant there. When we got back and paid the driver insisted that the price was 20 ringgits one way. The guy seemed nice and it might be that he wasn't trying to rip us off but nonetheless it was a good reminder to make sure you agree on the price beforehand. All in all Cameron Highlands was a nice place to visit but maybe not worth it if you're just visiting for a one day because of the long bus ride. Luckily we have time :)<br />
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- Matias </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kswyPXs7LAKABUPbhj6g6CjgNDlWkYKMmK4DOkbtRzwxilh5CEmuC5PlwP4K5gWAr6n_27076O41yfh19UT5LX-H9ELNhBtYU7zEHpeokN5UQPo4nT-FcGZDT4G1Yr7dijNjd8EDim0/s1600/20171128_121230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kswyPXs7LAKABUPbhj6g6CjgNDlWkYKMmK4DOkbtRzwxilh5CEmuC5PlwP4K5gWAr6n_27076O41yfh19UT5LX-H9ELNhBtYU7zEHpeokN5UQPo4nT-FcGZDT4G1Yr7dijNjd8EDim0/s400/20171128_121230.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tanah Rata</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n72LQmJK4G0-7CuhXx-ErP83fP2yH5y0NaaKeHG42ZnIc2oO59ixSSH4tLuG-4uudVQPq3kX90LbO1vva2m1lTzHJPOGYz9-cL2vEr3SxC133g77Vbvj6OZOroocuvpsRm5bM45U8mk/s1600/20171128_140506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n72LQmJK4G0-7CuhXx-ErP83fP2yH5y0NaaKeHG42ZnIc2oO59ixSSH4tLuG-4uudVQPq3kX90LbO1vva2m1lTzHJPOGYz9-cL2vEr3SxC133g77Vbvj6OZOroocuvpsRm5bM45U8mk/s400/20171128_140506.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life is like a box of chocolates</td></tr>
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Our route so far
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-52673840445854495362017-12-01T10:17:00.000-08:002017-12-01T10:17:11.721-08:00Crossing the border to LangkawiIt was a beautiful, hot Tuesday when we packed our bags and headed to the beach.. though today was not the day to just lay there. No, it was time to go to the immigration so we could say our goodbyes to Thailand and hello to Malaysia.<br />
<br />
We had booked our ferry tickets the day before from the company called Bu-ngha and paid 750 tbh each. We had read that bookings should happen at least the day before and before 6 pm. So with the tickets we went to check in, handed our passports and sat by the immigration to wait for them to call us by our names. After some time the moment came and we went to get our stamps and noticed that we didn't get our passports back just yet.. scary, but we figured (hoped) that we'll get them back on the ferry. Then after some more waiting we got to hop on a longtail boat and got a lift to the ferry. Koh Lipe does not have a pier so wear a pair of flip-flops and shorter pants so you won't get too wet when entering or leaving the island ☺️.<br />
<br />
The trip to Langkawi took about 1,5 hours and the Malay immigration was quick and easy.
Before we noticed we were sitting in a taxi, the local driver was speaking some Finnish to us and again we saw some monkeys on the street :)
We stayed in <a href="http://www.pondok-keladi.com/">Pondok Keladi Guest House</a>. The lovely and funny host Dee lives also on the property with his partner and they were always ready to help. I was expecting some formal check in but no! Dee was so laidback and was immediately ready to show us around the property and also the nearby areas with his car. And there were even complimentary water and beer waiting for us in the fridge.. what a wonderful welcome :) The place is located approximately 1-1,5km from the beachfront and from the shops and restaurants. Dee had also rental scooters available (30 MYR per day) so it was easy to walk or drive to the busier area.
After settling in we headed to search for the ATM and food. We found this small chain restaurant, I don't think you've heard of them.. umm it's called McDonald's 😁 Our food was mad cheap! I took a triple cheeseburger meal and it was 3€ (15.5 MYR). Whoa!
I also learned quickly that Langkawi is like Åland for the Finn's.. tax free. So cheap beer, tobacco and parfume are available. The chocolate is also tax free and we did find this magical place which advertised to have chocolate from all over the world! Omg I got emotional just from the thought of chocolate and even more so when I thought that I might find some Finnish Fazerin sinistä (Fazer Blue (?)) from the shop.. I know myself and I am sure that I would have started weeping if I have found the best chocolate there is from there.. But this time I was out of luck unfortunately :(
But! I do have one bar of Fazer Blue with me but I am saving it for 6th of December because it's a big day for Finland, celebrating 100 years of independence ❤️<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4M_C66tCeW3pwB4F69FsDbYvzMCuyZDKsGJNVFRmpNpwHBdKMRtp76S62GZZyFzB3Hh6SEwfCiAzjG9oM8uNVkAfuglRBjMbnzcqQOle7PjKZ08hJheOslXhGB5jWLebOd0Kp2LWzdaI/s1600/20171121_181618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4M_C66tCeW3pwB4F69FsDbYvzMCuyZDKsGJNVFRmpNpwHBdKMRtp76S62GZZyFzB3Hh6SEwfCiAzjG9oM8uNVkAfuglRBjMbnzcqQOle7PjKZ08hJheOslXhGB5jWLebOd0Kp2LWzdaI/s400/20171121_181618.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pondok Keladi</td></tr>
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<h2>
Fear factor</h2>
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We were chilling in the common area of the guesthouse on our first day at Langkawi when we noticed monkeys like 10 meters from us.. they were climbing on trees and getting closer to us.. luckily Dee's dogs scare them away. Then when I went back in to our room, noticed some droppings on the bedside table.. quick Google search taught me that it could be gecko feces and it could get us ill. Gecko droppings contains salmonella and when inhaled.. well you get salmonella also. I was horrified. Then, just when we were heading out to eat, the thunder started booming.. and like that wasn't enough the toilet stopped flushing! "Omg!!!"<br />
<br />
I guess it's good to clarify that I am scared of monkeys, bugs, getting ill, bacteria and for example.. thunder. I like safety and cleanliness.. This night it felt like many of my fears were coming true and I was way out of my comfort zone, again!
I was panicking. Luckily I am fortunate enough to have an amazing boyfriend who understands me and Matias said we could have dinner at the guesthouse (guesthouse has a shared kitchen and offers toast, eggs, noodles and coffee for free) and just chill at our room (our gecko poo room 😂). I got the immidiate fear out of my system and started soon to make jokes already about the dirty monkeys and the evening went nicely.
We ended up to stay in this place for three nights because, i dont know, it still felt like a good and safe place to stay.<br />
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<h2>
Cruising around Langkawi</h2>
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The second day we rented a scooter and went to the cable car which was around 17km away from Pondok Kelodi and Cenang beach. When we got to the cable car park, we saw that this was actually a big touristic place with different kinds of tax-free shops and fun things to do. We bought the basic package which included the cable car ride and entrance to SkyDome, SkyRex and 3D arts museum. It cost us 55 MYR (11€) per person. The cable car ride was actually scary! Scarier than the one in Barcelona! If I understood correctly, the Langkawi one is the steepest in the world and it sure felt like it! :) A good experience!
After getting back to the ground level we headed to the SkyDome where we watched some short films. It was ok but nothing spectacular. After that we went to the SkyRex which had a cart that fits around 30 passengers. We got 3D glasses and sat down with some scared Malay girls :D The cart rolled to an area with 180 degrees screens and some kind of platform that allowed the cart to move and all of a suddent we were a part of Jurassic Park type of a ride where the Tyrannosaurus tried to eat us! Fun ride and it definitely exceeded my expectations :)
The 3D arts museum was cool too. A big place filled with 3D art that you could photograph yourself with. Here's some examples:<br />
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Later that night we ended up in a Korean restaurant called <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/3261856?m=19905">Haroo</a>. It was top rated on TripAdvisor. The atmosphere was nice and the lady who was waitering us was absolutely wonderful! We ordered kimchi and she was in awe like "how do YOU Europeans know kimchi and how do you dare to order it?" It was out of ordinary I guess! She was happy that we knew their traditional dish and that we ordered and ate it :) We highly recommend this restaurant :) (I must add that it was thundering again but I found some courage somewhere and hopped on the scooter still.. a personal win for me :))<br />
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Our purpose was to stay in Langkawi for two nights and take a ferry to Penang but Dee said that we should think about the flying possibility also. So we checked the prices and found a very cheap Air Asia flight so that's what we booked. We paid 266 MYR with the value package (including 20kg luggage and a meal). We could have gotten it a little cheaper without the package and with 15kg luggage allowance but we hadn't tested how much our backpacks weight before buying the tickets.<br />
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On the third day on the island we hopped on the scooter again and went to Kuah to see the famous eagle statue and then back to Cenang beach to walk and wander around. We were surprised how many jellyfish we saw there! We didn't see any in Thailand so that was strange. After some wandering around we were heading back to the main street from the beach. I tried so hard to watch my step but then.. it happened. I stepped on to something sharp and started bleeding a lot from my heel. An old Malay man came to say that I have to push the blood out first rather than stop the bleeding. He was sure it was a rusty nail that I had stepped on to.. I figured it was a rock or a piece of sharp plastic.. either way I was not happy. Shit! (Ja paljon muita kirosanoja..) The man also said that I needed "a shot" and he wasn't taking about tequila alright.. but I had my latest tetanus shot on September so I was confused should I go see a doc or not.
We went back to the guesthouse and I started my Google search.. Dee called his medical friend and he said that because my tetanus is ok, I don't need to worry.. well.. I worried. Again thanks to Whatsapp, I asked help from home and got the "ok" from there also and was able to breathe again. Just some Dettol cleaning liquid there and some bandaid and I was good to go.
On Friday I felt that it really was time to get out of this island and see what else Malaysia has to offer. Off to Penang we went! Hopefully we (I) have less scarier times ahead..<br />
<br />
- Sini<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Langkawi riders</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The eagle </td></tr>
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-53871049150278293732017-11-25T11:01:00.000-08:002017-11-25T18:00:07.135-08:00A travel gem in the Andaman Sea - Koh MookIf you have to define a paradise I don't think there is just one right answer. For me it's a small place with fine white sand on a beautiful beach, palm trees and sunshine and it's somewhere secluded and not too touristy. When our ferry took us to Koh Mook I instantly felt like I could stay there for a longer time even before we got to our bungalow and that this place fits my definition of a paradise perfectly. There were small restaurants and travel agencies next to the pier but you could instantly tell that tourism hasn't affected the infrastructure too much yet.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving to the tropical paradise</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quiet streets of Koh Mook</td></tr>
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Everything is basically within walking distance in Koh Mook. When you arrive to the pier there is a taxi service (motorbikes with carts) which costs 50thb per person and takes you anywhere on the island. We opted to walk and see the area as we go. Thailand is called the land of smiles and in Koh Mook it really holds true. Local people were always smiling and greeting regardless if you ate at the restaurant next to theirs and they were being nice and helpful without trying to sell anything or benefit some other way. <a href="http://fewdaysoftravel.blogspot.my/2017/11/scootering-around-phuket.html?m=1">When we were in Phuket</a> and <a href="http://fewdaysoftravel.blogspot.my/2017/11/kayaks-and-frisbees.html?m=1">Phi Phi</a> it could get annoying when there's constantly someone trying to sell you something, probably even talking your own language a bit ("Terve, mitä kuuluu?!"). There those famous smiles feel sometimes forced.<br />
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On the first day we went to look around after checking in to <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/9787023?m=19905">Village Garden Bungalows</a>. We bumped into a nice bar on the beach (<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/7610273?m=19905">De Tara Beach Resort</a>'s bar) and had the place entirely to ourselves if you don't count the little snake that we saw a moment earlier. After some refreshments we made our way to Farang Beach on the other side of the island to have some late lunch. On the way we saw an adorable (and the only?) village and the nature was beautiful as well. Enjoying a good and cheap meal while the sun was getting down and the waves were hitting the beach gently was just perfect and one of those moments you look back to many times in the future. It can't get much better than this but our dinner in <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/10163796?m=19905">Yummy Restaurant</a> later on made it a bit better still. A seafood hotplate served in a flavorful coconutty sauce was a wonderful way to end our first day in Mook.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">De Tara's bar</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from the road to Farang Beach </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful nature of Koh Mook</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farang Beach sunset</td></tr>
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On the second day we did a snorkeling trip around the island including a visit to the Emerald Cave. Basically there's only a small opening and you swim through it and after a little less than 100 meters in the darkness the daylight starts to show and you arrive on this small beach. Our guide had a small flashlight with him but the cave is still really dark. Steep rock walls surround the beach and the story goes that pirates hid their treasures there a long time ago... The cave was definitely worth a visit and we saw lots of different fish while snorkeling so I really recommend doing the trip. We stopped in various locations and the guide was snorkeling with us and showing us best places to spot fish. The whole trip took us 3 hours and it was 1200thb for the boat regardless of how many people attended.<br />
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Next day we found a great place to eat breakfast (<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/5549661?m=19905">Sugar's Coffee & Restaurant</a>) right next to a quiet beach with some beautiful scenery. We could have just sat there for hours. Later we headed to De Tara's bar for drinks and from there we took a walk on the beach around the sharp peninsula. There's an expensive resort there but the beach is free to wander around. Other than that we were just chilling the rest of the day, just as you should once in paradise :)<br />
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<h4>
Getting to Koh Mook </h4>
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You can get to Koh Mook and the neighboring islands Koh Ngai and Koh Kradan either from Koh Lanta or from the mainland through Trang. Many travel agencies sell the ferry or speedboat tickets and they should also include the transport from the hotel to the pier. Our tickets from Koh Lanta cost us 600tbh per person and we bought them straight from our own hotel's travel agent.</div>
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Also remember to bring cash, there are no ATMs on the island. Some places change money though. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the Emerald Cave </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the other side of the cave</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of life under the surface </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot8jgv0_BExILVgHIkwivJJ1su1x137ct-Jifu2tsGJTwlo7vA6dUwbLybWyCr740S8AI1BXwrZ6wG8GoB7j6MdslFru-vpz14riwfMj6br45Tmey3lqvMeso1_28a3ge1fK5iRuw3FA/s1600/20171117_163833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot8jgv0_BExILVgHIkwivJJ1su1x137ct-Jifu2tsGJTwlo7vA6dUwbLybWyCr740S8AI1BXwrZ6wG8GoB7j6MdslFru-vpz14riwfMj6br45Tmey3lqvMeso1_28a3ge1fK5iRuw3FA/s400/20171117_163833.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A starfish</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast at Sugar's Coffee </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Bumpy ride to Koh Lipe with Sunburn Express</span> </h3>
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You can get from Koh Mook to Koh Lipe either by a speedboat or with a ferry. The high season in Thailand is just getting started so right now there's only the speedboat option. So we got the tickets for it (1300tbh per person) the previous day and woke up early so we had time to go to Sugar's Coffee again. We had a pick up at 10 am and the motorbike taxi took us to the pier. The speedboat was supposed to leave at 11.00. We waited. And waited. And then... we waited some more. This is quite common in Southeast Asia and you should try to just stay calm, because the conception of time is, umm, somewhat different here than in many western countries. Luckily our speedboat was only one hour behind the schedule and at noon we left Koh Mook behind us. I would definitely like to get back there and visit Koh Ngai and Koh Kradan also someday. There were seats inside but we stayed in the front enjoying the sun. Our plan was to stay there for half an hour or so and after that get in the shade. But as the boat flew through the waves and the wind cooled us down we kind of forgot our plan.. And got, unsurprisingly, little sunburned. The ride was bumpy and fun though. </div>
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We stayed in Koh Lipe for two nights but there's not much to tell about it. There should be some nice snorkeling and diving opportunities but we didn't take any trips there. Other than that it felt similar to Koh Phi Phi, tourists filling the walking street and restaurants selling western dishes and playing western music (if you do stay here try pizza or burgers at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/2603616?m=19905">Elephant</a>). All in all an ok place to visit but I would not want to stay there longer.<br />
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- Matias </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the speedboat </td></tr>
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-7274751860732587222017-11-18T06:04:00.001-08:002018-09-09T05:45:24.309-07:00Phi Phi Islands and Koh Lanta - Kayaks and frisbees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On Monday the 13th it was time to set sails and head to the Phi Phi Islands. Our ride picked us up early in the morning and took us to the pier in Phuket town to wait for the ferry. Last time we were in Thailand we mostly traveled on the decks out with the sun but this time it felt nicer to chill inside and watch a movie. The boat ride took approximately 2 hours. Fortunately the movie ended before we got to Phi Phi so we went outside and had our first proper view of the archipelago of the Andaman sea. Wow!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phi Phi Don closing in</td></tr>
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After hitting the shore we paid the island fee (20tbh) and started to navigate towards our hotel.<br />
I have been on a small island before (Koh Tao.. what a paradise 😍), but still the place amazed me.<br />
I mean the narrow streets filled with shops and how there were no tuk tuks or taxis or anything like that (Ok the police had a scooter but other than that..). It was like a walking street all the way. Cool!<br />
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We left our stuff at the hotel and headed to the beach. As we got closer to it the more in awe I was. It's so beautiful! I mean Bangkok and Phuket are cool, but this is what I consider a piece of paradise and sights like this is what I seek.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loh Dalum beach</td></tr>
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Later on that day we rented a kayak from the beach. Matias googled that the price should be 200tbh per hour (two person), but the salesman said 300tbh/1h and 500tbh/2h. We did some bargaining and got the kayak for 400tbh/2h.<br />
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I got the front seat and off we went! I have kayaked only once before in the canals of Leiden (The Netherlands) so I was a little scared when we got closer to the open, more unsteady waters. There might have been a scream or two.. 🙈😁 The sun was getting low so first we headed to the Monkey Beach where we once again saw monkeys. This time I stayed far away because no monkey shall ever try to steal from me again! :D Matias on the other hand felt right at ease with his hairier mates ;) after awhile we kayaked a bit more to see the sunset. Ai ai ai.. I highly recommend kayaking, it's good exercise and you see and experience a lot. Big thumbs up!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddling</td></tr>
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In the evening we were walking around and doing some cat spotting (there are so many cute cats on the island!) as we found out there was a fireshow in a bar called Carlito's. Off we went and it was not a disappointing experience! Guys were dancing to the music and spinning their fireball sticks with mad skills. It seems to be a quite popular umm sports (?) here in Thailand. I am beginning to wonder if they teach that also in schools and how could I learn the skills also. I mean a fireshow in Turku, on Christmas 2018, held by me. Could be a thing right? :) <span style="color: #e69138;">(don't hold me accountable for this, written under the influence of Sang Som) </span><br />
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Carlito's fire show</div>
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We ended up staying two nights in Phi Phi, but the second day was just for laundry, chilling, reading and eating :)<br />
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On Wednesday we headed our ways to Koh Lanta. The trip took about one hour from Phi Phi.<br />
We planned to carry on with our trip the next day so we stayed close to the pier in Saladan.<br />
As we walked to our hotel, Matias noticed that the tide was low and there was a lot of open area just for us.. and what was the idea he got into his head? Well of course to practise some Frisbeegolf (disc golf)! :D this guy! Matias has taken few frisbees with him because you never know when moments and opportunities like this arise 😅<br />
We watched the crabs on the beach for a bit and then started to throw the damn frisbees :D it was awesome! Barefoot, on the sand, the sun was shining and the temperature was reaching +30 degrees. And also it was wonderful to notice that my forehand has gotten some power (I mean, do not get me wrong.. not like Paul McBeth but! I may start to use my forehand next summer on the courses too 😋)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practice time!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing some maintenance</td></tr>
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Later on that evening we went out to eat and Matias had locked eyes with some mantis shrimps. They looked creepy but he wanted to try one of them <i><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">(they actually do freak me out a little bit :D editor's note from Matias)</span></i> . It cost 1000tbh/kg and Matias picked his dinner (one mantis shrimp) from the aquarium and sat down to wait. Later the thingy arrived with some deep-fried garlic. The shrimp looked weird but it actually tasted really nice. Matias said it was the softest shellfish meat he had ever gotten :) I also tried it and it was yummy. So thumbs up for the mantis shrimp then! :)<br />
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- Sini<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freaky things</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A yummy thing </td></tr>
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-5808484855669194502017-11-14T05:57:00.000-08:002017-11-18T05:47:40.003-08:00Scootering around Phuket <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One week ago we decided to leave Bangkok finally behind and continue our journey to Phuket. We searched for the flights one day before flying (I use <a href="http://www.skyscanner.com/">Skyscanner</a> almost always) and got the tickets with Thai Airways for a reasonably good price. We also booked a hotel near the Phuket airport because the most popular beaches are still a long way from there and our flight landed after 9 pm.<br />
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In the hotel we searched for what would be the best place to stay in Phuket and decided to go with Kata Beach first. Patong is the most touristy one with all kinds of attractions (particularly for single men...), Karon is a bit smaller and Kata's the most quiet one. When we got to Kata next day we stayed at Little Mermaid Guesthouse & Restaurant. It was budget friendly but we had to change rooms because of a bad smell in the bathroom and some little bugs all around the room. Also it was located a little further away from the beach. No thumbs up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kata Beach in Phuket </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When it rains, it pours</td></tr>
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Our next hotel, Pro Andaman Place, was in Karon and it was a way better place to stay. It had an excellent location near the beach and some good restaurants (nice live music at <a href="http://www.twochefs.com/restaurants/kata-beach/">Two Chefs</a>, good Thai dishes in <a href="http://helmut-schlusslicht.com/eng.html">Schlusslicht</a> and <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/1957381?m=19905"><span id="goog_1067488742"></span>Ying<span id="goog_1067488743"></span></a> to name a few), and the two always smiling aunties who run the place made us feel very welcome. Only downside was the noise coming from the street outside but other than that it was a bargain being a thousand baht per night. There was also a temple within walking distance, Wat Suwan Khiri Khet, that we paid a visit on the second day in Karon. Later that night they held also a night market there in the temple grounds. You can find some good deals there, we bought some clothes and a couple of sunglasses 100 baht per piece.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wat Suwan Khiri Khet</td></tr>
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The best way to see around in Phuket and many other places is definitely renting a scooter. It's cheap, it's fun, and you easily bump into places you would never otherwise see. 24 hours rental cost us 200 baht (~5€) plus gasoline. Considering that the local Tuk Tuk drivers charge 300 baht just to go from Karon to Patong, it's a no-brainer. We drove to Patong Beach and had some lunch in <a href="http://www.nickyhandlebars.com/facilities/bar-and-restaurant.html">Nicky's Handlebar</a> (good memories there, cheers Darab if you're reading this!) and then continued towards north until we noticed some food stalls and people gathered around so we pulled over. The sun was getting low and it turned out to be a wonderful place to check out the sunset. Around Patong Beach the traffic can get somewhat crazy so remember to stay alert at all times if you decide to drive there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheesy deliciousness at Nicky's</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kalim Beach sunset</td></tr>
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We had rented the scooter around 4pm, so we still had plenty of time to use it on the next day. After a late breakfast we turned on the ignition, fired up the engine and rode our 125cc beast to Phuket's Big Buddha, which was about 16 km away from our hotel. The views were nice, the buddha statue was big standing 45 meters high, and the monkeys near one of the viewpoints were trying to steal everything they could including our water. We won that battle, at least this time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Big Buddha</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A monkey and the view</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cup of joe on our way back</td></tr>
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0Phi Phi Islands, Krabi, Thaimaa7.740738 98.7784100000000087.4889930000000007 98.455686500000013 7.992483 99.1011335tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-3066587818087853002017-11-09T06:51:00.001-08:002017-11-18T06:11:05.963-08:00Bangkok (not so) dangerous I guess it's my time to take the wheel now!<br />
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So this is my second time in Asia and for me too it felt good to be back in Bangkok :) It's a vibrant city with lots to do and see. Also it's more western, comfy but exotic :) A good way to start this big trip. Also I didn't see any cockroaches 👍<br />
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On Saturday we went to see Thor Ragnarok in an IMAX teather in the Toyota Quartier. It was a cool experience! First we made sure that movie "with soundtrack" meant that it's in English with thai subtitles so we could understand it.. the movie was ok, but the quality of the sound and image was astonishing! Really good experience so we didn't mind to pay 9€ per ticket!<br />
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On Sunday the fifth was a big day, the birthday of Matias! :)<br />
I had already asked him months ago what he'd like to do on this day and the answer was then 'floating market'.. so what else is there to do than just go for it, right :)<br />
We hopped on a BTS and went to the Bang Wa station. From there we took a taxi to the market (Khlong Lat Mayom)<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "source sans pro" , "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">.</span> It cost only 100tbh and it took around 15min to get there. It was packed with locals and few Western people. We strolled around and looked at all the wonderful things there was to eat there (I wasn't ready to eat anything.. I mean I didn't see any fridgerators anywhere...how could it be safe😅). Matias saw this one snakehead fish stall and we both remembered seeing this in an YouTube video by our favourite Mark Wiens. Matias was excited about the fish so of course I had to get his bday fish for him :) So we sat down and ate it :D "the fish and the sauce was a very good combination and a cool local experience" said Matias. I myself wouldn't say it was a feast but I am happy I tried it and experienced it too :)<br />
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Snakehead fish</div>
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After coming from the market we ended up at Nana station. Last time we were in Bkk Matias had a 200tbh haircut there and he was looking so scrubby already on day 5 so we went to find the familiar cheap salon :) Matias had his clean cool shave costing 200tbh and I figured that I need to ask how much would it be for my hair.. and it was only 300tbh! What the Hell i thought! Let's do this! So i sat down and now I have a quite short hair but luckily i don't think i need a haircut before the Philippines ;)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">300tbh haircut </td></tr>
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In the evening we were in the area of On Nut and Matias had googled a beefy buffet nearby (<a href="https://m.facebook.com/BestBeefsukhumvit">Best Beef</a>). So we went there and what an experience it was! It was 269tbh only with the meat but 439tbh including beer (separately 100tbh/bottle) and soft drinks.. "hmm we do have a flight tomorrow and had couple of Sang Som rum drinks already.. but if we have three beers in total.. we are winning!".. two Finns there so what do you expect?! Of course we had the whole package! It's celebration day so let's get the bacon and beer coming! :) We had so many sort of meat and got to cook it ourselves in our own hotpot. We stayed the whole two hours there and enjoyed our stay until the place was closed. I cannot express how cool the best beef was but I definitely would like to experience it again! Maybe we have to start our own business in Turku or somewhere else :) Ai ai ai and nomnomnom!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The menu</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best beef! </td></tr>
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I have to say I feel lucky to be on this trip and also that I have had the opportunity to chat with my granny and my family few times already with WhatsApp.. thank God for the internet! :)<br />
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I am btw writing this from Karon beach, Phuket, but maybe i'll save something for the next time :)
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- Sini<br />
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-69769741276781827162017-11-03T12:28:00.000-07:002017-11-18T06:11:49.073-08:00Bangkok vibes, peanuts and vaccinationsOur flight took only 9 hours but we were pretty tired for the first day. Not too much sleep in the plane. If you have only one-way ticket you might run into problems although it's not likely. I've been asked for onward ticket only one time when I was flying from Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur. That time the check-in agent had to make some calls but it was not a big issue and I could board the plane. This time we used an online service called <a href="http://bestonwardticket.com/">bestonwardticket.com</a>. I was a little hesitant about it because they don't have many reviews yet being a rather new site but it worked like a charm. They actually book you a real ticket which you can present if someone asks for it. Then they cancel the ticket 48 hours after purchasing.<br />
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Apart from being quite tired it felt good to be in Bangkok again, it felt a little like coming home after a long time. After taking the train from BKK airport to Sukhumvit we found our hotel pretty quickly. Staying close to Terminal 21 shopping mall we decided to make it our first stop. There's an excellent food court there where you have many tasty food options for less than 1€.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made it! </td></tr>
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Loving street food and being allergic to peanuts is not always the best combination in Thailand. If you are in the same situation I recommend printing an allergy card translated in Thai. And actually using it if you're unsure about the dish which I didn't do so of course I got something peanutty :p I got away with an itch and somewhat swollen tongue but next time I might take my own advice.<br />
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Yesterday we took it easy because we still had some sleep debt. A little bit of walking in Lumpini park, strolling around in MBK mall and trying out some street snacks. Later at night we had some dinner at Cabbages and Condoms (that is really the name of the place, interesting concept and good food) It was also our anniversary few days ago so no better way to celebrate it than ordering some delicious pork neck!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lumpini Park lizard<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7M0LDduEuHmVbv5nHeQrmGIO83vgTrA5vhfJlit4-0gZpM7gVXF5QCCIKazKC9XXr4BNJ-8Bx6WEY2WTO9FtR8hZO240w4GU-a-cdr8XbSPYdSAUkEmR6ksLOd_GpXWApfJM50honA6M/s1600/20171102_173019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7M0LDduEuHmVbv5nHeQrmGIO83vgTrA5vhfJlit4-0gZpM7gVXF5QCCIKazKC9XXr4BNJ-8Bx6WEY2WTO9FtR8hZO240w4GU-a-cdr8XbSPYdSAUkEmR6ksLOd_GpXWApfJM50honA6M/s400/20171102_173019.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suspicious pork balls put to the test </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlL3fh3IqgDIfRUuOJExXAFal0oSKuhPXLBY6pCN6xCv19bjnBjB2h053umSwlpIa1fRAB2DcRtspl8yOOCWyzpGat9y2_l6IDIpzJGPm3sD3GWaobFxZuxZ6qW4IcrK9HC6gM9sBO6g/s1600/20171102_223731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlL3fh3IqgDIfRUuOJExXAFal0oSKuhPXLBY6pCN6xCv19bjnBjB2h053umSwlpIa1fRAB2DcRtspl8yOOCWyzpGat9y2_l6IDIpzJGPm3sD3GWaobFxZuxZ6qW4IcrK9HC6gM9sBO6g/s400/20171102_223731.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Condom fashion</td></tr>
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Today we headed to Hospital for Tropical Diseases after breakfast. There's a travel clinic (www.thaitravelclinic.com) where you can have all the vaccinations you need at a low cost. I booked an appointment there yesterday for my Japanese encephalitis vaccination. It cost me under 700 baht (less than 20€) whereas in Finland the cost would have been around 300€. So big savings here, I recommend!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKtS49X3Gz7vCSKeDUHcwLtz-qLkFp6JbmNM3GGrc6P7LG9rNgbZPsrpGAgLjlfqFjFDPMBTXr4J9hlA0LqUUf2I8z2BrKNWjxwwgiH_31jYVsLQ2x73bZQet5XKxIY5BbGHAeAY7Yzc/s1600/20171103_120058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKtS49X3Gz7vCSKeDUHcwLtz-qLkFp6JbmNM3GGrc6P7LG9rNgbZPsrpGAgLjlfqFjFDPMBTXr4J9hlA0LqUUf2I8z2BrKNWjxwwgiH_31jYVsLQ2x73bZQet5XKxIY5BbGHAeAY7Yzc/s400/20171103_120058.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting Travel Clinic </td></tr>
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Our route so far
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7954625989263719777.post-11976695521620356472017-10-29T01:21:00.000-07:002018-03-16T01:24:52.374-07:00Starting a blog and empty roomsI've traveled quite some bit and usually I just post some pictures on Facebook or Instagram. My work mate was asking if I was going to write a blog when we're on our next adventure (hyvä Vellu!), and back then I thought it's really not my thing. However on one weekend I started to think about it while driving a longer distance with my car and thought that what the hell it could be fun! If some like-minded travel bug bitten (there's no cure, you gradually turn into travel zombie and constantly think about the next adventure) travel addict gets some travel tips or inspiration out of it it's great. If not, some of our friends might be interested in reading this. Besides, I think it's gonna be fun for us later on to read some of this stuff and hit the memory lane so nothing to lose here :) So here we are!<br />
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We've been planning on our upcoming six month adventure for a long while now and it's finally on our doorstep. Our apartment is almost empty and all the stuff is either sold or packed in cardboard boxes. On Tuesday we're going to fly to Bangkok and start our way from there towards south. We've booked only few first night in Bangkok and for Christmas week we have accommodation in Bali. Everything in between is still open and that's the way it's should be :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUv_Dev0jfqNJUVk8ixTPZmFY6bUo-kL2wxDTXifQLJuF_lu8hjRCYb1OY1-h3DRNrZGXlrAB2cMHWTolUwdqAk6PyG4TgGSnNJrQPHhQZDijX10wI1k32yxlDgvTXCQJIS9Qdbx3Q1g/s1600/20171030_122337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUv_Dev0jfqNJUVk8ixTPZmFY6bUo-kL2wxDTXifQLJuF_lu8hjRCYb1OY1-h3DRNrZGXlrAB2cMHWTolUwdqAk6PyG4TgGSnNJrQPHhQZDijX10wI1k32yxlDgvTXCQJIS9Qdbx3Q1g/s400/20171030_122337.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emptiness</td></tr>
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Sini has been panicking for months now but I haven't really even given the trip too much thought, I've just been concentrating on disc golf mostly :D Now the reality and the excitement is slowly creeping up on me also. We've been really busy the last few days with our stuff and everything we have to take into consideration, international driving licences, insurances, what to pack and not packing too much etc.. I managed quite good I think, 8.5kgs (18.7lbs for those of you who use weird units) for my backpack and 4kgs or so for my carry-on. Sini's being a girl and still struggling a bit with not taking everything she owns with her :P Actually I think she's doing fine and should be under 10kgs as well so we're all good and ready to go!<br />
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Special thanks to Henna and Kristo for storing our stuff, Maritta for taking care of our apartment, Vesku for taking care of my car and Marja, Anoora and Henri for helping out.<br />
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I think that's all for now, next post will be sent somewhere from Thailand. :)<br />
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- Matias<br />
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Our route so far
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15556204072722704340noreply@blogger.com0Turku, Suomi60.4518126 22.26663020000000960.2010776 21.621183200000008 60.702547599999995 22.912077200000009