Week 27 (Bali & South Australia)

12/21

Slept in till 10. Breakfasted with pizza. Updating blog now. Everybody is packing to go his/her own way. Bit sad... Im about to move to a cheaper hotel at Poppies lane I. Still have to pack. Walk with my lugage, however small it is, does not appeal to me in this heat.

The move to the other hotel went smooth (except for some assshole who tried to rip me off, when changing some last euro's, but i found out what he was up to, so he paid the too high rate. Serves him right). Back to the old hotel to say goodbye to everybody. It made me feel strange and sad too., a bit empty and sad too. All in all they have been good company. Back to my new hotel. Beach, nice fu young hai, updating the media now.

Did a long stroll in the evening, saw New Castle - Sunderland in the bar next door, Star Trekked and slept good.


12/22

Woke up at 9, simple, but nice breakfast at the hotel (included), then the 7th day at the beach. At my favourite place, where they serve cheap food and a fantastic Cafe Latte. Walked back through drizzling rain, showered, trying to contact James now. For a first reunion. Lol. They stay close to here. But the wifi lets me down.
I will try the bar next door.
Laterz.

James and Melissa arrived round 8.30 PM. We had (as expected a good chat, did the picture, and (again) we said goodbye.

I went for a last beer to a nice live music bar and went to sleep at 12, over a star trek episode.


12/23

Slept in, breakfasted, packed and stored my luagage at the hotel and beached for the next few hours. Of course i had my last latte´s and indonesian food at Sue´s (my favourite little beach restaurant) and returned to the hotel at 17.00. The arranged taxi took me to DPS airport. Check in went amazingly fast (despite the fact that i bought a price fighter´s ticket). I spend the last hours and rupiah´s in the airport with Made (i met her there). Flight went good and i arrived at Adelaide at ....

12/24

...where Jan Schutter was to pick me up. He drove me to his (very nice) house (where i met his wife Jeannette) and then... breakfasted and slept till 12.30H.
I felt incredibly welcome. What a hospitable people.
In the afternoon we went to Belair Park, where we spotted 30 Kuala´s. They cute, but stupid. Amazing that they haven´t gone extinct.

Back at their house we did some floating drinks...

And a very nice dinner at a local restaurant. A last glass of (very good) South Australian wine finalized the day. Slept very good (In my own part of their house) after having updated all the media.


12/25

Merry Xmas to all of you (never felt so unXmassed as now, but hey... )...

Woke up at 8, breakfasted, packed and off to Rawsley Park, where we are now. Drove for several hours and had a nice little hike at Groce View where we had a late lunch too.

Drove 3 more hours (loads of dead animals along the way (mainly kangaroos, but emoe´s and foxes too... really sad))

Then arrived at our house at Rawslay park. A beer, a good conversation and a feeling of happiness is what filled the last 2 hours. About to BBQ now....

Jan and Jeannette are such great hosts... i don´t know how ever to repay them... Fantastic people.
We´re about to BBQ now (and it smells soooo good). On top of that, i just tasted their home made wine ... guess... indeed ... brilliant!
Laterz...


12/26

Woke up at 9 or so, great breakfast, and then on our way. First a good viewpoint...

Then big time animal spotting (mainly Kangaroos and Emoes). Pictures say more than words, so...

On the way back it happened.... the Kangaroo was just there... one big leap out of nowhere. It was his last. Frontal collision... We all felt horrible, but really... nothing that could have beeen done.

Diner at the local restaurant (Woolshed) with 2 bottles of Seven Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. Believe me you notice it. Both on the same night as the next morning. It was such good fun though. Jan laughed, tears down his cheeks, when reviving the memories of the "Dik voor mekaar show".
Midnight.. finally went to sleep.


12/27

Woke up at 9 with a hangover that disappeared immediately when we ate another great breakfast. Typecal English one: Eggs, Bacon, Sausages. Love that.

Then slowly travelled back to Adelaide, but not without... wine tasting. A very nice (new for me) experience. We did 2 winaries, where we tatsed 5 or 6 wines (you just sip, no worries) and indeed, i could tell the difference between the wines (Jan had given me a quick course in the different grapes and how to distinguish them). I think i found a new (expensive) hobby, coz i did like it a lot more then i ever thought i would.

We arrived home at six. Ate (at home, left overs). I tried to book my flight to Sydney, but... digital misery al over. Watched the news and went to bed ... where i couldn't catch the sleep. Read until 3 AM. And slept really well after that.

Week 26 (Malaysia & Indonesia)

12/14


Woke up at 9.30 or so. Media, breakfast, read, tried to walk to the botanical gardens for the 2nd time and... yeah! Succes. It was a bit of a let down however. And far too hot.
On the way back a huge poordown, which made me shelter for more than 40 minutes. Hard time to find the way back. Got myself a cheesy french fries (Yum, is that known in Holland already?) at Burger King, back to the guesthouse, made soup, read, slept on the couch of the balcony, showered, update blog now. Going to publish week 25 too now.
Laterz...

Did a Big Tiger & a great Sweet&Sour pork in China Town. Watched Man U - Liverpool in the Guesthouse. Slept round 11.30.


12/15

Woke up at 9.00 or so. Breakfasted, Starbucks coffee, Subway sandwich, Last shoppings (candy for on the road), took the bus to KLIA2 (KL International Airport 2) (1.5 hour drive!). Far too early here at the airport (as usual), so... checked in too early too (had boarding pass already printed out ... it is convenient; can't deny that). Now updating blog near a very expensive Burger King (a whopper is very tempting though). Waiting for my flight to Den Pasar, Bali... and waiting... <yawn!>. Laterz.

Well, there was free wifi, so... FB-ed my ass off. And ate a whopper. Finally.
Checked in at 7.15, boarded at 7.50, departed 20 minutes too late at 8.50 or so. In the air now.

Landed at 23.45, found the others straight away (other flight, but same landing time), passport control and checks went really quick. Waited for the hotels driver for a while and went to Asoka Hotel. Great place, with a dutch speaking manager (weird guy though), sipped two beers and slept like two logs.



12/16, 17 & 18

Sleeping in, long walks along the beach, nice food, swimming in the sea, good chats with fellow travellers, and relaxing days. Lots of rain everyday! Cools it down bit. Everybody is (perhaps unawarely) preparing for the big goodbye I think. No complaints, lots of laughter, no irritations, hugs, ...
Found a nice room for the extra 2 days (12/21&22) I spend here, when the rest has gone.
Laterz.


12/19

Slept like a log again. Rooms are so comfortable. Today i have to swap rooms with Corrine, since her husband comes in. I have to share again. With Canadian Alli. There goes the privacy. She's a nice woman though.
Sitting here in the humid (Laptop is wet) updating blog and trying to connect to the internet. No succes so far. Do some breakfast shopping first now I think.
Laterz...
Days pass by going to the beach, sipping beers, conversations with fellow travelers, and very good sleeps (since the rooms are so comfortable).


12/20

Another day on the beach, where i was washed away by heavy rain though.
In the evening there was the farewell party. We ordered pizza at the pool. Nice!

Silly Face Group Picture

Matt was there too.
Slept for the last time in this hotel.

Week 25 (Thailand and Malaysia)

12/7

The drive to the border was a long one, but a good one. Felt nice to be on the
road again. Drove to a little town close to the border. Arrived round 7.30 PM.
Checked in and unpacked (which is done in 5 mins now, since i carry less and less
on me). Got something to eat with Canadian Alli (great chicken, with a supermarket
beer (muslim, so no official beer selling)). Good sleep.


12/8

Crossed the border without problems. Changed money, ATMs, sipped coffee and
arrived in Georgetown (on the Panang peninsula in the north west of Malaysia) at
17.00h (or so).
Installed in hotelroom, strolled through china town, little India and ended up in
a nice, fancy restaurant for a cappicino and a splendid  view over the harbor,
where a fantastic thunderstorm started.  It kept on raining for hours, so i
decided to leave, found my way to a great food plaza, eat a great sushi there and
went back to the hotel for a shower.
At 9 i picked up Dennis for a last (err... 2) beers at the same food plaza. He
stayed, i pretended to be wise and slept a good 8 hours.


12/9

Slept in til 9.30 (1 hour time difference), strolled to find a decent breakfast
(rice and some chicken), found a decent wifi connection to do the media and
received my confirmation for my Australian visa. Slept again (!!), strolled, got
lost, but didn't care... got even loster in a huge shopping mall. Found my way
back, thanks to a german backpacker with a map (thanks dude). Showered.
Food plaza again: Big Tiger beer with spicy seafood (wowow, love that). Stroll,
last beer. Now updating. Tomorrow last drive in the truck, but.. leave at 7 AM
so... Arvo Part, star trek and sleep. See ya. (Now i want you to ask yourself:
What the F... is Arvo Part?).


12/10

Drive to KL went really fast, so arrived in KL at 13.00 or so. Settled down in
hostl (dorm), unpacked and made a great trip with Dennis: huge mall, coffee at
Starbucks, monorail train to china town, checking out ho(s)tels for my staying
here after the group left, bought a good aftershave, strolled back to our hotel
area, sipped two chang beers. Then Dave, Greg and Ozzie Alli joined.
Slept for a short while, strolled again (centre of KL is actually one huge
shopping mall)

Had a beer in a bar next door. And a second one since it started
to downpoor like unbelievable. Went to bed at 11 or so, startrekked, but could not
catch the sleep (too warm, bad aircon/ventalation).


12/11

Woke up at 8.30,, booked my ticket to Denpasar (yes, i will go to Bali, but from
KL (and not from Singpore, like the rest)), breakfasted, did the media, checked in my
ticket to get a boardingpass on line (which took ages), then did a long stroll to
my new hostel, reseved and payed for the coming 3 nights, strolled back, had a
great burger at Subways, booked another ticket from Den pasar to Adelaide, got my
laundry, showered, shaved, and went for a beer and food.
Found my way to the Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC as they're called here). Amazing.
And shopping malls all over the place again.

Will go back there during daylight.
Walked back to have a last drink with my travel mates, who will leave for
Singapore tomorrow. Will meet them again on the 15th on Bali if all goes according
to plan. Updated blog and now... ssllleeeppp... <yawn>. Laterzzzz....


12/12

Woke up early to say goodbye to the rest of the group. Hope to see them again in
Bali on the 15th (or early 16th), except for Jean, Ozzie Alli and Greg, since
they're not going to Bali. May see them in Oz though.

Went back to bed to sleep for 2 more hours, did a big breakfast, packed my stuff
and moved to the Stepinn guesthouse, where im now. Basic, but very friendly and
cosy.
Did a long stroll to find the botanic gardens in the afternoon, but got lost. Back
to guesthouse, read Dan Browne book (in dutch ... they had it here), slept a
little, then another stroll ending up in ... a very nice restaurant in china town,
over a fantastic beef fried noodles and a Tiger beer. A huge thunderstorm started
which provided a spectacular view. Moments of complete hapiness. Strooled some
more, drank a coffee at the guesthouse, another beer and an early night of sleep.
updated the media in bed.


12/13

Woke up early, chated with friends, simple breakfast at the guesthouse. Long
stroll to the Petronas Twin Towers (again) or the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Conference
Centre) as they're called here. Also went to the KLCC Aquaria, which was
absolutely stunning. You literally walked between the sharks (tunnels through the
(huge) fish tanks. Absolutely loved it.

Strolled back, slept for 30 mins, showered, shopped, going to update my blog now.
Too far behind (or is that a dutchism?). Laterz...

And so i did. Week 23 and 24. And this is the last day of week 25, so tomorrow
week 25 too. Had two big Tigers after updating, came back in the guesthouse and
watched the end of the movie "The Escape" with the other guests. Could not sleep
very well. Don't know why. Listened to music and FB-ed for a long time.

Week 24 (Thailand)

11/30

Early rise. Supposed to go on the road at 7, but.. some delay made a quick
breakfast still possible. Carlos left the group, which caused some err.. let's say
consternation. No goodbeys, just left. He's a strange guy.

In the truck again now. Lots of space, coz there's only 13 of us left. Feels so
good to be on the road again. To Kachanaburi. Finally a city i don't know yet.
Laterz...

Arrived here round 13.30. Nice place. Bridge over the river Kwai is to be seen.
Strolled to a huge market. Big festivals here too. Ran a few K's, showered, ate
and went to see football in a bar, surrounded by local beauties. I bought one of
them a drink and she (Noi) sticked around me for the rest of the evening. No,
nothing else! Went to sleep at midnight.


12/1

It's Hermans brithday (my best friend, who passed away in 2006, far too early at the age of just 45). Miss him terribly.

Anyhow, woke up late. A bit hung over (despite the fact that i didn't drink that
much... hmm, getting older). Did the media extensively. Now of for breakfast and
money. Laterz.

Went to the bridge over the river Kwai with Dennis.

<Dennis pics>

It was so hot, that we went back, to hide in our airconned rooms. Slept for
another hour there. Not smart, since we have to leave tomoorow at 6.00 h.

Watched the fireworks at 8. Had a small beer afterwards and slept early over an
star trek episode.


12/2

Early rise and a long, long drive that went well though. Arrived in Surat Thani
for a one night stand in a hotel. Dennis Corrine, Dave, Marianne and I had diner
togetther. Dennis and I crossed the bridge afterwards to find a huge bazaar and
sipped 1 more big chang there. Slept good.


12/3

Woke up at 7.15, breakfasted, and left for the paradiselike island of Koh Samui.
Arrived at the ferry round 10, 1.5 hour fare to the island.

When we arrived it poored. Ok, got a big van for all 12 of us. Hotel is splendid, beach, swimming
pool, lazy tourist. Love it here and hope to enjoy for a days or 3. Laterz.

Slept! (really?, yes really). Beached, pooled, FBed, Shopped (well, 7-11 that is),
ate, played a little guitar (so bad!), went out for a last beer and to my
ashtonishment: not much to do up here. Well, there's always star trek episodes.
Laterz.


12/4

Slept like a log and woke up at 9! Yeah!. Went to the supermarket to make my own
breakfast. Breakfasted on my veranda.

Updated blog, news and media. Now off to the beach. It's a though life... ;-)


12/5 & 6

3 days of lazyness. Sipping cocktails/beers. Sea, sand and sun. Thai food, premier
league football matches.

Nice for a change. My last days with the group. Tomorrow at the border with
Malaysia, then 3 days KL, where i stay and say goodbye. Then almost 4 months on my
own to do Australia and the Philippines. I'll keep u all posted. Laterz.

Week 23 (Vietnam & Thailand)

11/23 & 24


Daily routines develop: Sleep in, long strolls in the morning (when it's still
sunny), late breakfast with superb cooffee, sport in the afternoon, Then Heavy
rainfall, Like really heavy (mouson season is gone, but stilll heavy rain every
late afternoon), shower, eat, drink, watch football in a bar. It's nice to settle
down for a while.


11/25

L'histoire se repeat.... Met up with the dutchies again...It's very unhealthy ...
;-) . We're having nice times though.


11/26

Hung over, slept untill 10.30, showered, packed, breakfasted, tea while waiting
for the airport taxi, check in, now waiting to board for my flight to BKK.
Laterz...

Flight went well, despite the fact that i had to convince the manager that i was
flying in and leaving Thailand by bus (truck). That took some time, but arrived here
sound and safe.
Took a train and the backseat of a scooter to get to Koh San  Road (backpackers
area). The scooter fare was... well, to be honest i almost shit myself... But a
good driver it was. Despite that i know the area fairly well, it took me half an
hour to find the hotel of the rest of the group.
Did a stroll, met Dave, Dennis, Corrine and Shaz on KSR (and celebtrated that with
a beer obviously), went to bed to get a decent night sleep (finally).


11/27

Woke up at almost 8.45. Long sleep. Felt well. Had a great breakfast at out
neighbour hotel. Did the media. Then.. of course explore BKK. Since i know this
area well, i took the boat and went to chinatown.

Love it there. Reassembling new
moterbikes with all kind of parts of old motorbikes. It's great to see.
Ate fruits, mimosa's (kinda), drank coffee and went back. Feels great to be ...
"home".
Now going to update my blog (wifi is good here), Then do a run in the park accross
the highway.
Laterz...

Ran, showered, slept, went out. Couldn't find the rest of the group, so went to
this nice live music place and enjoyed myself there. Home at midnight. Star
trekked.


11/28

Woke up late (9.00). breakfast, media, long stroll in a (relatively) unknown part
of BKK. Nice to see. Coffee on KSR (backpackers area) and ran again. Showered, but
can't stop sweating it seems. Im leaking.
Laterz...

Went out for a couple, but returned home early for a good night sleep. And so i
did.


11/29

Woke up at 9 or so, breakfasted, did the media and ... slept again for 2 hours.
Long strolls in the afternoon,

Coffees, a Singha beer, shower, premierleague
football over a ceasar salade and a big Chang in my old hotel, where i always stay
when im here on my own.
On the way back, it shook me when i saw a 3 year old child sleeping (alone!) on
the pavement. Little cup by his side where some people had donated some money in.
It sadened me so....
Had a hard time falling asleep, despite the good star trek episode.