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GoBlue


90 Blog Entries
4 Trips
362 Photos

Trips:

Carl's Circuit
Joc's Journeys
J-Mac's Junket
Viv's Voyage(s)

Shorthand link:

http://blogabond.com/GoBlue




Fun Blog Game!

Bangkok, Thailand


Here's a fun game: if you are reading this, and would like to receive a postcard in the mail from an exotic destination, please post a comment with your address (or send me an email). In return, I'll send you a postcard. Fun, huh?

(Can you tell I forgot my address book, and that I'm looking for something to do on my current layover before reaching Samui?)

permalink written by  GoBlue on May 29, 2007 from Bangkok, Thailand
from the travel blog: J-Mac's Junket
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Time Down Under

Melbourne, Australia


About 6 more hours to go in Australia before Carl, Joc, and I head off to Bali, Indonesia, and Dave, Maddy, and Jennie make their way to Koh Samui. It's been a fantastic week plus exploring Melbourne and spending a solid 6 days in the Grampians National Park and Mt. Arapiles doing some rock climbing and hiking. We had a really nice log cabin (pre-fab for all you Professor Ahuja "Sierra Log Homes" kids ;)) where we enjoyed warm wood fires, delicious home cooked meals, and super comfortable beds (right Maddy?!).

Perhaps the best part about the cabin was that it was located on a kangaroo sanctuary, despite being called the Emu Holiday Park... We got up close and personal with some joeys and slightly older 'roos. Will post pictures soon. The crew hopped onto the Great Ocean Road from the Grampians yesterday morning and have just been roadtripping away and doing some sightseeing. Off to do more of it... :)











permalink written by  GoBlue on May 28, 2007 from Melbourne, Australia
from the travel blog: Viv's Voyage(s)
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The Good Plus Ocean Road

Apollo Bay, Australia


I actually think the Great Ocean Road was pretty fantastic, but jokingly give it a Good plus nonetheless. Amazing, amazing vistas to be experienced with slight nausea if not driving the car. It was a pretty amazing way to end the first Australian experience. Just check it out . . .


permalink written by  GoBlue on May 28, 2007 from Apollo Bay, Australia
from the travel blog: Carl's Circuit
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Reunited!

Halls Gap, Australia


For all you loyal readers who were waiting on pins and needles, I've reunited with Maddy, Joc, Vivian, Carl, and Dave in the beautiful Grampians region in Victoria.

Maybe it was just me waiting on pins and needles, after I got off the 4th leg of my 4-hour train/bus trip this morning in a random town in Australia, hoping that I'd find my friends. (As soon as I can, I'll post the picture of the "V/line National Coach" that I rode in from Stawell to Halls Gap. It was actually more like a Vanagon from 1984, not a coach bus.)

Anyway, it didn't take long for them to drive up (on the left side of the road) and honk the horn. We are now a fully party of 6!

Two quick notes: the campervan idea has been abandoned for a variety of logistical challenges, but we are riding in style in a Toyota minivan. Plus, lodging is at the Emu Palace cabin, where there is a real kitchen. Anyone who knows Dave Chapman's cooking will realize that this is a major score.

Secondly, I saw my first kangaroo today. They are fun to watch jumping around!

Over the weekend, we'll stay out here in the park for some more hiking and climbing. On Monday and Tuesday, we'll drive portions of the Great Ocean Road. And thus, the great adventure continues...

permalink written by  GoBlue on May 25, 2007 from Halls Gap, Australia
from the travel blog: J-Mac's Junket
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Grampians Rock

Horsham, Australia


Although we were hoping to rent an RV from Melbourne and drive to the Grampians and Arapiles, we opted for a minivan and cabin option instead. Turned out to be an awesome choice. Driving on the left side of the road was a bit of challenge, sometimes providing group excitement with occasional "left side, LEFT SIDE" type chants coming from the back of the van.

We safely made our way to the Grampians National park and decided to stay at the EMU holiday park, another great choice. The proprietors rescue baby kangaroos, so we were able to hold a few, pet them, etc.

As we left, two roos that we met the previous day jumped up to bid us farwell. I ended up walking them back "home" so we woudn't hit them on the way out. It was amazing to see them bounding behind me and actually following me. It was pretty fantastic.

Also fantastic were the vistas and rock climbing.

As far as climbing. One word. Awesome. Our crew was also a bunch of troopers, making it a lot of fun to be out on some new rock. Viv and Jen, relative beginners, hadn't been outside climbing since last Spring break. Dave had never climbed before and Maddy hadn't climbed since high school. Still, these guys rocked. Yep, rocked. We even did a multipitch climb of ~250 feet at Mt Arapiles (I can see why it is adored by Aussie climbers). It turned out to be harder than we expected, but everyone rallied and we made it through with no incidences. I think I could even go so far as to assert that everyone had a good time.

In short, awesome time outstide the city, and once again it felt like too short of a visit. I definitely hope to make it back.


permalink written by  GoBlue on May 25, 2007 from Horsham, Australia
from the travel blog: Carl's Circuit
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G'Night from Down Under

Melbourne, Australia


... and just like that, I'm in another hemisphere. I arrived in Melbourne, Australia this evening after an 8-hour flight from Bangkok.

Both Mike and I had early flights leaving from Suvarnabhumi International Airport, so we did what any self-respecting backpacker would do when faced with a 4 am departure to the airport: we stayed up all night. You would think we'd be pros at this after 2 years at business school, but I admit to fighting the yawns starting around 10 pm.

Luckily, we had lots to do to keep us occupied in the wee hours of the morning. Our hotel pool didn't close until 11 pm; there was a special showing of the AC Milan vs Liverpool finals from Athens, which we watched for a while; and when our bags were packed, there was nothing left to do except play a mean game of travel scrabble until it was time to get the taxi.

Now I'm hanging in Melbourne just for overnight until I catch the national train/coach line out to the Grampians region tomorrow morning. From the Claremont Guest House in South Yarra, it should be an easy subway ride back to the main train station. Although I didn't arrive until 9:30 pm, I did venture out to Chapel Street to grab a late dinner at one of the many cafes. Chapel Street is full of great looking clothing shops and boutiques, so it's probably better for my budget that everything was already closed!

I'm still marveling at the miracles of modern travel. Last night, I was in Bangkok, shopping at the Patpong Soi 2 Night Market and looking for Pad Thai street eats in 90+ degree temperatures. Now, I'm in another capital (Melbourne is the capital of Victoria, I'm told), but here, people speak my language and it's about 40 degrees cooler. I've found friendliness and welcome both places, though... I guess that's what makes travel so fun.

Stay tuned for more adventures of the campervan variety! I can't wait for my dramatic Hollywood reunion with the rest of the Michigan crew. Here's hoping there's an RV waiting for me when I hop off the V/Line national coach on some random street in Halls Gap, Victoria tomorrow. Cross your fingers. :)



permalink written by  GoBlue on May 24, 2007 from Melbourne, Australia
from the travel blog: J-Mac's Junket
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From HKG to BKK with mk

Bangkok, Thailand


Hello all! Apologies for the brief lapse in blogging. Where to begin?

Hopefully you read Viv's account of the rest of our Hong Kong adventures. I can't thank the Chan family enough for their gracious hospitality. I ate, and ate, and ate. (See picture of our Saturday night feast!) And, I got to ride Space Mountain at Disneyland Hong Kong. It doesn't get much better than that.

Next stop: Bangkok, where I am now tearing up the town with Mike. We've seen incredible temples (Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Po, and Wat Arun) as well as the Grand Palace.

We've eaten multiple helpings of mango with sticky rice and have sampled delicious curries. We've ridden in a tuk-tuk, a longtail boat, a municipal ferry, and some taxis that rival NYC (apparently lanes and markings for directions of travel are merely suggestive here). We relaxed with a Thai massage, multiple dips in the hotel swimming pool, and a few Singha beers.

One highlight of our time here was a surprise discovery that classmate Kurt Dorschel's itinerary overlapped with ours, so we met up with Kurt for "One Night in Bangkok" (sorry, couldn't resist). Better yet, we met and dined at Bed, a swanky Bangkok restaurant and club where patrons actually sit in beds to eat and drink. Accordingly, I've posted the picture of myself in bed with Mike and Kurt.

(Let the snarky comments begin!)

We have one more day tomorrow of sightseeing, market shopping, and street-food eating tomorrow -- and though fried bugs are a delicacy here, I doubt we'll be that adventurous.

On Thursday we'll part ways at the Bangkok airport, and then it's time to head to Australia for my Reunion with Carl, Joc, Viv, Maddy, and Dave!

More to come... :)

permalink written by  GoBlue on May 22, 2007 from Bangkok, Thailand
from the travel blog: J-Mac's Junket
tagged Bangkok

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Melbourne Madness

Melbourne, Australia


After a sad farewell to Sydney, we made our way to Melbourne. All I can say about the trip is don't go out of your way to fly JetStar. Yeah, they are a "discount" airline, but the amount you pay upfront covers very little. We found out when we got to the airport with our normally allotted two bags that we are allowed only 20 kilos each person. With all our climbing gear, Joc and I were approximately 27 kilos over the limit (at $7/kilo, totaling $189 AUS). Luckily we were able to shift some weight to our awesome friends (thanks Maddy & Dave), so we didn't end up paying anything. But this philosophy of paying for everything extra permeated the trip. At one point I thought I would have to pay extra to turn on the air-vent or light above my seat . . .Whatever. I'm over it.

Melbourne is an interesting city. I think two activities largely capture the scene: sports and shopping. The city is chocked full of sports arenas and shopping centers. I thought it was a great city, well worth visiting and appealing in its own ways, but not as inviting as Sydney (it was also 10 - 15 degrees colder than Sydney; 55 vs. 70). Overall, glad to have been there.

A few highlights of our short 1.5 days in Melbourne revolve around food. The first night we went to a great old church (or civic buliding--couldn't really tell) that was transformed into an Irish pub--great setting for a few drinks. The second night we were aggressively courted by a number of restaurant managers to dine in their establishments. We finally settled on a restaraunt that gave us 3 bottles of wine and an appetizer for free, and a song and dance about this woman's mother being the cook in the kitchen who makes fantastic lasagna (we found out later this wasn't even remotely true--still, the wine and app were good!).

Overall, great time in Melbourne!

permalink written by  GoBlue on May 22, 2007 from Melbourne, Australia
from the travel blog: Carl's Circuit
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Happily rubbing my belly...

Hong Kong (historical), Hong Kong


Wrapped up yet another great dinner in Hong Kong with my family. Jennie was quite the trooper and endured a full five days with my constantly eating and constantly feeding family. Can't say I didn't give her ample warning that our time in the city would be spent planning around meals! She quickly learned to say "bow," which means "full," as different family members wanted to keep piling food on her plate. :)

After days of shopping (ask Jennie about her new winter coat...yes, Hong Kong is in the tropics...), some time up in Victoria Peak - highest point in Hong Kong - via a tram dating back to 1888, a 25 minute cable car ride to visit the largest Buddha structure in the world, a trip to the Hong Kong Disneyland, and did I mention lots of good eating (?), I dropped J-Mac off at the airport train this afternoon and off to Bangkok she went. I'm sure she'll have a lot more to say about her time here in Hong Kong when she gets back online...yup, another case of viv-laziness. ;)

I'm off to Melbourne tomorrow afternoon on a red-eye through Singapore and will be catching up with Carl, Joc, Dave, and Maddy. I bet they'll be really excited when I burst into their rooms at 7am and start jumping on their beds... J-Mac will join us in about T-4 days.

Some pictures...






permalink written by  GoBlue on May 20, 2007 from Hong Kong (historical), Hong Kong
from the travel blog: Viv's Voyage(s)
tagged HongKong, Jennie and WinterCoat

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The Brit's Mistake

Sydney, Australia


This post has nothing to do with PM Blair . . . I can't believe the Brit's sent their convicts to Australia hundreds of years ago and stayed on their miserably rainy, cold and small island. I'm pretty sure they made the biggest mistake of their empire's existance by not keeping their convicts in England to mess with the French and transferring their entire civilization to Australia. But what do I know?

Suffice to say, this place continues to be awesome. The Chapmans arrived on Friday to a spot of bad weather in the morning. It was upper 50s and rainy for a few hours, but has otherwise been in the low- to mid-70s and sunny. Regardless, we used that day to walk around The Rocks, Circular Quay, Sydney's Opera House and the Royal Botanical Gardens. It is a very vibrant part of the city filled with both modern beauty and history. One of the highlights is the Botanical Gardens, filled with Cockatoos, Fruit Bats, Spiders and amazing plants (for more pictures, etc: http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/royal_botanic_gardens). Friday night we then went to a great Italian restaurant in Durlinghurst. I know I am getting old now that I am spending my days sightseeing in lieu of going out at night . . .

Anyway, Saturday was yet another great day. We traveled from Circular Quay by ferry to Taronga Zoo for a few hour tour. It is one of the nicer zoos I have visited, especially interesting because of their emphasis on Australian wildlife. We then went to Bondi Beach, which reminded me a lot of life in Southern California. One of the highlights of the day was the 1.5hr walk along the cliffs and beaches from Bondi to Coogee. It was amazingly beautiful. We finished Saturday night by making dinner with Chris in his flat in Coogee.

Yesterday we spent the day on a Wine/Reptile Park tour north of Sydney. The day was off to an interesting start when three of the four belts on the bus's engine burned up. Our driver, Robert, thought everything was OK so long as he drove without any headlights or other "extraneous" power drains (he was telling this proud fact as we were driving into Sydney well after sunset, using other vehicle's lights to guide us. Its great to travel in other countries . . .).

Anyway, the wine tour was great, but probably the best part of the day was stopping at the Reptile Park, believe it or not. We got to pet a Kuala Bear and Kangaroos. The Kangaroos were awesome. We even were lucky enough to see one of the Kangaroos buck back onto its strong tail, grab a goose's head with its front paws and kick its back legs into the goose's body during a squabble over some food. They look pretty powerful and not to be messed with, which is exactly what Chris' friend Matt thought while attempting to play patty-cake with one of them later (http://youtube.com/watch?v=CQdC4vWIxDw).

We finished last night with another great dinner in Darling Harbour, and then we headed to bed earlier in preparation for a big day today. We are traveling to Manly Beach for some hiking, beach time and surfing followed by the airport so we can make our flight to Melbourne. Until the next update . . .

permalink written by  GoBlue on May 20, 2007 from Sydney, Australia
from the travel blog: Carl's Circuit
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