We awoke around 7.30am to a text from Mum to say that we had, had a call from the skydiving place and we needed to call them back. When we looked out of the camper van window, we knew exactly what the call was about, it had rained all night and didn't look like it was going to stop now. So after an hour of trying to call them (we couldn't figure out the dialling code), we eventually got in touch and they told us it was cancelled but the forecast looked good for 2pm and could we hold on. We had no choice as we really wanted to do it but would now have to sacrifice our day up at Cape Reinga which i was very upset about but i would be more upset to miss out on the skydive. So we got ready and checked out at 1030am , the time we had been told and sat in subway until we heard again.
1.30pm and we got the call to say it had been postponed until 12pm the following day, it was still raining and the sky was black. This meant we would have to sacrifice our day in Auckland but it would be worth it to do our Skydive. So we decided we would make the most out of the rest of our day. We went to the cinema, a small cinema for the small town but had 'Gone Girl' - which we had wanted to see in the UK. We made a plan to see the next showing at 8pm, we had 6 hours to kill, so we drove to Pahia beach and Kawakawa.
Tuesday 25 November 2014
Thames...
When we arrived at Thames, we parked up on the main street where all the shops and buildings seemed to be. There is nothing really off the main road apart from a smallish complex with a Pak n save , Mcdonalds etc.
We took a walk up and down the high street which was nice and at the top by the petrol station, there is an Isite , so we went in there for some info and a small bit of souvenir shopping.
The town is small but traditional western style architecture. there is a car shop that has been preserved and acts as a small museum piece right next to the Isite petrol station. A short walk up and down the high street will transform you back to the western era, when this town was really it's heyday. It also offers a lovely beach area with high tide, perfect for a stroll and a picnic. However we ate at a small Cambodian run fast food restaurant. It's not hard to miss and has plenty of variety from hamburgers to sandwiches, pastries galore and plenty of sweet stuff.It was Cheap and clearly the local's favourite eatery.
Once we had eaten, we walked the high street and shopped in a save the children, which had a great range of lovely souvenirs , a bit on the pricier side but lovely all the same. After an hour of this, we set off again, to make our way to The bay of Islands.
On our way, we had been told to stop off at Orewe point and were so glad we did. Sure, it's another beach, but stunning views again and decided to have a bit of a walk to as far as we could and back. You can just park up anywhere near the entrance and get out, everyone was friendly and the weather, views, beach and shells were lovely too. It was nice to stretch our legs after driving and having a small break again before driving 6.5 hours up to KeriKeri.
I collected some shells and Luke offered to drive most of the way. We drove up Through Auckland and got some great views going over the bridge. The good thing about NZ is that every town has free public toilets with car park , so you are never far from the next pit stop. So we can stop anywhere and sometimes stumble on a place that is interesting without even knowing it existed.
After 4 hours, I offered to drive after stopping at a pitstop. I then drove the rest of the way up to KeriKeri , in the pouring down rain. I don't really like driving in the dark here as the roads are winding and are often on the edge of a mountain and the rain had worsened things quite a bit. So i stayed behind a car all the way.
Anyway, we reached KeriKeri around 9.30pm and found a campsite as soon as you enter. It's on the left after a black building, which is a restaurant. The site charged us $36 and had hot showers, large kitchen with every appliance needed, large tv room and ping pong table and computer area and apparently lovely picnic area next to the river. HOWEVER, the whole night it rained and we ended up at McD for some food before going to bed as we had to be up early for our skydive.
Love S&L xxxx
We took a walk up and down the high street which was nice and at the top by the petrol station, there is an Isite , so we went in there for some info and a small bit of souvenir shopping.
The town is small but traditional western style architecture. there is a car shop that has been preserved and acts as a small museum piece right next to the Isite petrol station. A short walk up and down the high street will transform you back to the western era, when this town was really it's heyday. It also offers a lovely beach area with high tide, perfect for a stroll and a picnic. However we ate at a small Cambodian run fast food restaurant. It's not hard to miss and has plenty of variety from hamburgers to sandwiches, pastries galore and plenty of sweet stuff.It was Cheap and clearly the local's favourite eatery.
Once we had eaten, we walked the high street and shopped in a save the children, which had a great range of lovely souvenirs , a bit on the pricier side but lovely all the same. After an hour of this, we set off again, to make our way to The bay of Islands.
On our way, we had been told to stop off at Orewe point and were so glad we did. Sure, it's another beach, but stunning views again and decided to have a bit of a walk to as far as we could and back. You can just park up anywhere near the entrance and get out, everyone was friendly and the weather, views, beach and shells were lovely too. It was nice to stretch our legs after driving and having a small break again before driving 6.5 hours up to KeriKeri.
I collected some shells and Luke offered to drive most of the way. We drove up Through Auckland and got some great views going over the bridge. The good thing about NZ is that every town has free public toilets with car park , so you are never far from the next pit stop. So we can stop anywhere and sometimes stumble on a place that is interesting without even knowing it existed.
After 4 hours, I offered to drive after stopping at a pitstop. I then drove the rest of the way up to KeriKeri , in the pouring down rain. I don't really like driving in the dark here as the roads are winding and are often on the edge of a mountain and the rain had worsened things quite a bit. So i stayed behind a car all the way.
Anyway, we reached KeriKeri around 9.30pm and found a campsite as soon as you enter. It's on the left after a black building, which is a restaurant. The site charged us $36 and had hot showers, large kitchen with every appliance needed, large tv room and ping pong table and computer area and apparently lovely picnic area next to the river. HOWEVER, the whole night it rained and we ended up at McD for some food before going to bed as we had to be up early for our skydive.
Love S&L xxxx
Monday 13 October 2014
Mount Maunganui...
We were kicked out of that campsite around 10.30am when a woman came from what i thought was a storage hut for wood that turned out to be her home and told us if we wanted to stay any longer we would have to pay.
We were happy to leave but had to get changed and sorted in the public toilets then made our way up to Mount Maunganui to have some ice creams and a short walk and some lunch.
Love S&L xxx
We were happy to leave but had to get changed and sorted in the public toilets then made our way up to Mount Maunganui to have some ice creams and a short walk and some lunch.
When we arrived at the Mount after a lovely lunch at "The Cafe" on the high street (no wifi , little expensive but large portions) we then went to the beach to see the mount and got an ice cream (mr whippy) dipped in melted cadbury choc - yummy. Free parking by the beach 120 mins.
It was quiet and a slightly dull day weatherwise plus a five year old boy had been swept out to sea a few days before and we had been told this was why it was so quiet. It was a shame for obvious reasons but also for the vendors as there are plenty of vendors to choose from on the beach ranging from savoury to sweet. A day or two before we arrived a vigil was held for the little boy with around 1000+ people turning up and some went out on surf boards with floating candles. We were told it was loveLKy to see.
However, this day was raining and dull so we didnt climb the mount but decided to drive on up to the hot water beach and made a few stops along the way. Apparently there is a great little campsite at the bottom of the mount and a great walk around the edge to do. If the weather hadbeen better we would have spent a day or two here, it was lovely, nuce little town with plenty of shops and cafes and water sport activities.
We stopped at a few beaches along the coast , all as beautiful as the next , with little walks and picnic areas. Finally we went to the hot water beach and arrived around 5pm so the tide was too low to dig any pools but we did get to do a nice walk. Around 20 minutes, follow the hill up to y the top and bear left into a pathway, follow this doen to the rocks and walk bscck along the beach. We then sat and watched the sunset before drivibg back doen the peninsula to a small place Tairuni? The village is relatively small but has ample shops and a great lake area with beautiful views and picnic areas and small children's play area. If coming from the north, turn left before you go over the bridge from the main road , or if coming from the south , turn right after the bridge and there's a campsite behind the library on the left, the sign has huge flip flops on. It was $28 for the pair of us and had free WiFi, kitchen area, showers (cold -p.s do NOT pat the $2 for an extended shower as the shower doesn't stop running until you turn it off anyway, also it never even gets warm) , tv room with local info and 10+ tv channels. Check out is at 10am, it's a quiet place to park and has chickens roaming free which is quite nice to wake up to. The guy at the office was friendly as so we're all the people on the site. The guy even ran after us when Luke had left his towel on the roof and driven off. We then parked outside the library next door to get their WiFi for a couple of hours before we set off to Thames which was a couple of hours drive away.
Love S&L xxx
Lake Taupo ...
So we decided to do the geothermal pool which are slightly north of Lake Taupo but has a lot areas arond to see different things too and it was $55 for both of us to do and could stay there until 5pm.
We had seen a burger fuel on our way into Lake Taupo and it was on our bucket list to try whilst we were in NZ as they are a NZ founded company. We got a burger each , the size of our head, and kumara chips (sweet potato) each with alioli dip and a honey coke and normal coke. It came to $40 so very expensive but sooo worth it, they were gorgeous and worth every penny as a treat. They also still fitted into our budget. They even have special cardboard holders called doofers , just so your burger doesn't slide out the bottom.
We then made our way to the mud pools which is five minutes around the corner and can be seen for free. These were really interesting and are well signposted from the geothermal pools.
We had been advised to visit Te Puke from here and decided this is where we would camp for the night. We stayed in Te Puke holiday camp for $20 and had all the amenities you need but resembled a traveller's site but one in need of a massive overhaul. We would not stay here again and Te Puke seemed like there was nothing to do there either apart from a Kiwi farm so we wouldn't return.
Another day in NZ , and we still don't want to leave.... S&L xxx
Napier.....
We arrived in Napier around 10ish and used street parking that was for 2 hours. In our lonely planet guide it suggested a route to take through the town (walking) to see all the historic 1920s buildings. We really recommend seeing Napier , it is one of our favourite places we've been to.
The town is really colourful and the 1920s theme is carried throughout, even to the road signs!! You can walk along the beach and take cheesy photos if you wish ( Like we did) or you can do the building tour which takes around 45 mins if taking photos. Walking tours - If you want a tour guide but if not, you can find the walk in your lonely planet book.
Our cheesy pic!!! It's meant to be a heart ....
After an hour and a half drive we found this great Truck stop on the SH5 (highway) in Rangitaiki called the Rangitiki tavern. We thought it was just somewhere we could eat , which was really cheap and really good food. The truckers voted it runner up in the truck stop competition. It should have won in our eyes, we had a burger each but not their FAMOUS bugger burger which consists of every meat except fish and this was only $15. They had a wood burning fire that we snuggled up to as it is very cold down there. Marion & Duncan (the owners) allowed us to stay at the truck stop overnight for $10 for both with hot showers and towels and even filled our hot water bottle. We stayed for breakfast too , for fruit and toast but they do full english and it is busier in the mornings with all the truckers but Marion and Duncan still couldn't have been more accommodating.
They had goats which we could go and see and take pictures. We wish we could have stayed here every night.
Love S&L xx
The town is really colourful and the 1920s theme is carried throughout, even to the road signs!! You can walk along the beach and take cheesy photos if you wish ( Like we did) or you can do the building tour which takes around 45 mins if taking photos. Walking tours - If you want a tour guide but if not, you can find the walk in your lonely planet book.
After a nice afternoon in Napier we decided to drive upto Lake Taupo hoping that we would find some accommodation on the way.
After an hour and a half drive we found this great Truck stop on the SH5 (highway) in Rangitaiki called the Rangitiki tavern. We thought it was just somewhere we could eat , which was really cheap and really good food. The truckers voted it runner up in the truck stop competition. It should have won in our eyes, we had a burger each but not their FAMOUS bugger burger which consists of every meat except fish and this was only $15. They had a wood burning fire that we snuggled up to as it is very cold down there. Marion & Duncan (the owners) allowed us to stay at the truck stop overnight for $10 for both with hot showers and towels and even filled our hot water bottle. We stayed for breakfast too , for fruit and toast but they do full english and it is busier in the mornings with all the truckers but Marion and Duncan still couldn't have been more accommodating.
They had goats which we could go and see and take pictures. We wish we could have stayed here every night.
Love S&L xx
Ferry -Picton to Wellington
So we checked our DOC campground map ( available in any I site for free) and found a campground that said it was near the ferries. Then we drove through Picton and around the back to the area where the map said the site was located. After around 20 minutes of driving, we eventually found the site which was huge, no hookups just camp and sleep but had toilets and a changing area. We arrived late so the woman who lives on site tapped on our camper door at 7am to get the $12 from us. Unfortunatley we went back to sleep after this and our alarm woke us up at 8.30am for us to be ready for the ferry ,however once we were ready we reread the ferry ticket and found we had to be at the dock at 930am and it was already 920am now.
So we got in the camper and drove as fast as was able and managed to end up at the wrong end of the dock to get the Interislander ferry at 935am so we felt sure that we had missed the ferry. ( This is really simple to buy online and even have student discount for ISIC card holders- but no one checked) When we got to the correct area at 945am, we were lucky and it was still open, but only just and we were the 2nd to last car on. The ferry set off at 10.15 once all the vehicles had been loaded. It cost us $222 for both of us and the car and took around 3 hours. It was a smooth ride and had tvs and a brilliant cafe , not that expensive to eat. It also had a cinema room which was playing postman pat. A bacon sandwich cost $7 with a lot of bacon inside and Luke's fish , chips and gravy cost $8 with a drink. So not too bad at all.
Once we got to Wellington we drove around looking for places to park and eventually found some street parking that is free for 2 hours on a Sunday then you just move it somewhere else to get another 2. Once we had parked up, we went to Mcdonalds for their free wifi and had two hot chocolates.However, their internet wasn't fab so we walked slightly further down the road and found an internet cafe that was $3 for an hour so i managed to transfer our pictures and Luke looked at his all important football score.
We then had a walk down to the harbour which is lovely , lots to see.
We then took a drive up the tram stop at the top if the hill. There is plenty of paid parking there but we parked on road parking for free. NZ is very good for having blue signs that tell you how long you can park there for free - going up to two hours.
The tram is really cute and only costs $7 return and $2 return for students of Wellington uni. The shop/museum wasn't open on a sunday so we walked around the botantical gardens next door instead, which had lovely views and also had the observatory, also not open on a sunday. However there is still enough to read and see.
That night we drove west of Marsterton to a DOC campsite just before Riccarton , the weather had gotten really bad and was blowing 120kmph winds at us and rain. The campsite was 7km down a gravel road into what seemed like the middle of nowhere. We decided to park behind the toilet block to try to shelter from the elements. It was a rough night and didn't seem to let up much by the morning. The stream that was a small quiet little trickle of water was now a gushing river. So by round 9am , we set off up to Napier.
Thanks for reading, S&L xx
So we got in the camper and drove as fast as was able and managed to end up at the wrong end of the dock to get the Interislander ferry at 935am so we felt sure that we had missed the ferry. ( This is really simple to buy online and even have student discount for ISIC card holders- but no one checked) When we got to the correct area at 945am, we were lucky and it was still open, but only just and we were the 2nd to last car on. The ferry set off at 10.15 once all the vehicles had been loaded. It cost us $222 for both of us and the car and took around 3 hours. It was a smooth ride and had tvs and a brilliant cafe , not that expensive to eat. It also had a cinema room which was playing postman pat. A bacon sandwich cost $7 with a lot of bacon inside and Luke's fish , chips and gravy cost $8 with a drink. So not too bad at all.
Once we got to Wellington we drove around looking for places to park and eventually found some street parking that is free for 2 hours on a Sunday then you just move it somewhere else to get another 2. Once we had parked up, we went to Mcdonalds for their free wifi and had two hot chocolates.However, their internet wasn't fab so we walked slightly further down the road and found an internet cafe that was $3 for an hour so i managed to transfer our pictures and Luke looked at his all important football score.
We then had a walk down to the harbour which is lovely , lots to see.
The tram is really cute and only costs $7 return and $2 return for students of Wellington uni. The shop/museum wasn't open on a sunday so we walked around the botantical gardens next door instead, which had lovely views and also had the observatory, also not open on a sunday. However there is still enough to read and see.
That night we drove west of Marsterton to a DOC campsite just before Riccarton , the weather had gotten really bad and was blowing 120kmph winds at us and rain. The campsite was 7km down a gravel road into what seemed like the middle of nowhere. We decided to park behind the toilet block to try to shelter from the elements. It was a rough night and didn't seem to let up much by the morning. The stream that was a small quiet little trickle of water was now a gushing river. So by round 9am , we set off up to Napier.
Thanks for reading, S&L xx
Saturday 4 October 2014
Kaikoura & Blenheim
This morning we awoke in the most beautiful setting , we were on the beach with great views of the mountains and right on the sea. We had agreat sleep and drove straught to the public toilets to get changed andhave a wash etc. The parking allows 60mins , the blue sign with P and number underneath tells you how long in each spot.
We then drove to whale watch five mins away and ate our sandwiches before we needed to check in at half ten. Parking is free outside whale watch. Wheb we went to check in at the desk, we found it was cancelled !! The sea was too rough for us to travel out to and the 715am tour had come back with no whale sightings so got a refund. They were offering a bay tour where it was hoped to see albatrosses, seals and dolphins and was $65 pp. We did that instead abd had a whale of a time - pardon the pun. You get a safety briefing first, then a coach takes ypu 5 mins to the harbour to get on the large boat. If you suffer from sea sickness, sit at the back and take stugeron tablets - these are excellebt fir travel sickness.
We went out onto the top deck when told , the boat would stop when they saw something, we got to see a group of dolphins for around an hour and some seals on the rocks for 30mins , we also saw a range of albatrosses and had a wealth of info given over the tannoy by the woman group tour guide.
It was well worth the money and got some great photos, it was sooi cold out on the dek so we sar in their cafe for coffee and cake at $6 pp which was great value for money. Then we decided to have two of their homemade saus rolls and sharw chips as we know how big their portions are !! This came to$12 for both. It was gorgeous too !! It also had free wifi so i could send our postales.
We then went on a drive up the peninsula and couldnt believe our eyes. The seals were in the car park , close enough to touch. But dont , as they carry many diseases such as pneumonia and physillis!! But they had pups with them and were just sleeping all over the car oark. It was great to be so close, but we did get too close when trying to take our postale pic and one hissed at us !!
We then made a sharpish exit and took a look around the souvenir shops which were nice but expensive. Once done, we set off to Blenheim, got some petrol on the way $50 worth which took us upto 3/4 now . We have stopped at burger king for cheap food on their saver menu which is very cheap and it has free wifi. Bonus !!
We update when we can but you are fully upto date now. We need to find a camp now ready for the ferry in the morning at Picton 1045am. We had to print our ferry voucher. ISIC card got us student disc and the spaceship is classed as a car (not a campervan) so we get the ferry for $222 for both of us, whale watch printed this for us as there is no internet cafe in Kaikoura so bear that in mind. It was very kind of them.
Night all
S&L xx
We then drove to whale watch five mins away and ate our sandwiches before we needed to check in at half ten. Parking is free outside whale watch. Wheb we went to check in at the desk, we found it was cancelled !! The sea was too rough for us to travel out to and the 715am tour had come back with no whale sightings so got a refund. They were offering a bay tour where it was hoped to see albatrosses, seals and dolphins and was $65 pp. We did that instead abd had a whale of a time - pardon the pun. You get a safety briefing first, then a coach takes ypu 5 mins to the harbour to get on the large boat. If you suffer from sea sickness, sit at the back and take stugeron tablets - these are excellebt fir travel sickness.
We went out onto the top deck when told , the boat would stop when they saw something, we got to see a group of dolphins for around an hour and some seals on the rocks for 30mins , we also saw a range of albatrosses and had a wealth of info given over the tannoy by the woman group tour guide.
It was well worth the money and got some great photos, it was sooi cold out on the dek so we sar in their cafe for coffee and cake at $6 pp which was great value for money. Then we decided to have two of their homemade saus rolls and sharw chips as we know how big their portions are !! This came to$12 for both. It was gorgeous too !! It also had free wifi so i could send our postales.
We then went on a drive up the peninsula and couldnt believe our eyes. The seals were in the car park , close enough to touch. But dont , as they carry many diseases such as pneumonia and physillis!! But they had pups with them and were just sleeping all over the car oark. It was great to be so close, but we did get too close when trying to take our postale pic and one hissed at us !!
We then made a sharpish exit and took a look around the souvenir shops which were nice but expensive. Once done, we set off to Blenheim, got some petrol on the way $50 worth which took us upto 3/4 now . We have stopped at burger king for cheap food on their saver menu which is very cheap and it has free wifi. Bonus !!
We update when we can but you are fully upto date now. We need to find a camp now ready for the ferry in the morning at Picton 1045am. We had to print our ferry voucher. ISIC card got us student disc and the spaceship is classed as a car (not a campervan) so we get the ferry for $222 for both of us, whale watch printed this for us as there is no internet cafe in Kaikoura so bear that in mind. It was very kind of them.
Night all
S&L xx
Hanmer springs...
We arrived in Hanmer springs and went straight to Kekapo lodge as they are a spaceship station where you can get offers and exchange your dvds, well they were..three years ago and havent heard from spaceships since so dont do it anymore!!
Then we parked outside the springs which is limited but free and paid only $20 each for a full day until 9pm. These hot water pools range from 36 degrees to 41!! It was a cooler day so it was lovely to get in. The lockers were $2 per hour and are large enough to fit a family of fours things in.
We had a great day here. We even ate at the cafe, they do goyrmet burgers and free water. We had a burger and fries each (deluxe ones) and it only totalled $36 which is v good for an attraction. The portions were huge too and you got an hours free wifi each.
We had our photo taken in the pool but this was $25 for twocopies with four postcards and we didnt like it too much. We spent until 7pm here then walked over to "the lodge" (another conv store with cafe) we got ladagne and a basket of chips. $13 for both and the basket was huge, easily fed a family of 4.
We couldnt find a free campsite anywhere near so we went to the top ten one which is 1 minute down the road and was great $36 for us and had kitchen , car wash, tv and internet room, laundry and hoover so the next day we spent cooking, cleaning the car and doibg laundry. The weather was being a bit funny so we thought it best. The internet was $7 a day so we used it to book our skydive, ferry and whale watch. We checked our funds which are looking healthy and are kepping out spends book up to date.
We got all our jobs done and the camper smelt fresh again which it needed!! Around 4.30pm we toom a walked around tge village, got some souvenirs and bought some fudge. Couldnt resist, 3 blocks for $12.50 - 3 diff flavours and all sooo scrummy.
We came back to "the lodge" for fish and chips at $3 pp and once it stopped raining, made our way back to the site to carry on our travels up to Kaikoura.
We arrived at Kaikoura after 2.5 hours and went in search for the whale watch place ready for the morninf. It was easily found as it was cleatly sign posted and right on the beach, after tjis we went to find a campsite which were all full or very expensive as a music festival was on called Seafest. So we ended up driving out 30km to come back 20km to a site called Seawards pottery. It was gorgeous, right on the beach, plenty of campers and people having fires and really quiet but FREE.
Night all
S&L xx
Then we parked outside the springs which is limited but free and paid only $20 each for a full day until 9pm. These hot water pools range from 36 degrees to 41!! It was a cooler day so it was lovely to get in. The lockers were $2 per hour and are large enough to fit a family of fours things in.
We had a great day here. We even ate at the cafe, they do goyrmet burgers and free water. We had a burger and fries each (deluxe ones) and it only totalled $36 which is v good for an attraction. The portions were huge too and you got an hours free wifi each.
We had our photo taken in the pool but this was $25 for twocopies with four postcards and we didnt like it too much. We spent until 7pm here then walked over to "the lodge" (another conv store with cafe) we got ladagne and a basket of chips. $13 for both and the basket was huge, easily fed a family of 4.
We couldnt find a free campsite anywhere near so we went to the top ten one which is 1 minute down the road and was great $36 for us and had kitchen , car wash, tv and internet room, laundry and hoover so the next day we spent cooking, cleaning the car and doibg laundry. The weather was being a bit funny so we thought it best. The internet was $7 a day so we used it to book our skydive, ferry and whale watch. We checked our funds which are looking healthy and are kepping out spends book up to date.
We got all our jobs done and the camper smelt fresh again which it needed!! Around 4.30pm we toom a walked around tge village, got some souvenirs and bought some fudge. Couldnt resist, 3 blocks for $12.50 - 3 diff flavours and all sooo scrummy.
We came back to "the lodge" for fish and chips at $3 pp and once it stopped raining, made our way back to the site to carry on our travels up to Kaikoura.
We arrived at Kaikoura after 2.5 hours and went in search for the whale watch place ready for the morninf. It was easily found as it was cleatly sign posted and right on the beach, after tjis we went to find a campsite which were all full or very expensive as a music festival was on called Seafest. So we ended up driving out 30km to come back 20km to a site called Seawards pottery. It was gorgeous, right on the beach, plenty of campers and people having fires and really quiet but FREE.
Night all
S&L xx
Friday 3 October 2014
Fox Glacier & Franz Josef Glacier..
Hey guys,
so to catch you up a bit on the last few days ( i am now in burger king where we have free wifi and with us being only 30 mins away from the Picton - where we shall get our ferry in the morning, we have time to kill)
Anyway,when you drive from Haast to Fox glacier, bear in mind that this is the last place you can get fuel for 120km so fill up before you go through the woods at Haast. As the sta cards don't work at the 24hr petrol station which is unmanned and they have NO ATM. So we had to do the 120km on a quarter of a tank !!
My last post shows you that we did infact make it and we filled up at Fox which was slightly more expensive for fuel , but note that its 20c per litre moreexpensive again at Franz so fill up at Fox. We are currentlyfilling our spaceship tank for $120 and it gets us 700 km on average so not too bad.
Anyway fox is a short walk from the car park and is really beautiful. Fox town has a lot buzzing aroundand the Kiwi sanctuary is a must here. We didnt see the kiwis but the cafe and gift shop were great and not tooexpensive.
After lunchwe moved onto Franz Josef , to climb to the highest part that you are allowed, its 1 hr 30mins round trip so not too bad and totally worth it , you see waterfalls on the way and lots of information boards. It was nice to have a walk and some fresh air after being stuck in the camper for the past fews days.
We wanted to drive through to Hanmer springs but this was too far in one night so we stopped at a little town for sausage and chips. The town was called Whataroa and was such a lovely little village. We went to the village shop which was also a cafe and got saus and chips for $12!! The eve was warm so we sat on the benches outside as they were closing. It was a post office aswell as the store. We had a great hour or so sat here it was about 25km from FJ so afterwards we had a bit of a drive.We stopped at Greymouth on the way to reefton where we planned to camp. We filled up the petrol as we had only gotten a small amount before as it was more expensive, now it was back to 2.21 again , we filled up. We then went to Mcdonalds to get a sundae and then to the supermarket called New World to get some essentials. New world seems to be a lot cheaper than Countdown and is open until 11pm. Places in Nz seem to close early ; petrol stations, supermarkets and info centre oh and restaurants!!
I bought us some toilet roll which was very cheap at 4 for $1 , although there are a few toilets around NZ and in camper sites and citues. There is never any toilet roll as i suppose they dont get inspected often. So another thing to bear in mind. We already carry hand sanitiser but its a must for the public toilets!!
After this, we drove to a campsite recommended to us on a guide bookwe picked up in Christchurch. Its the DOC ( department of conservations - the owners of the campsite) book, it states the basic to expensive sites. Basic are usually $6 pppn and you leave your money in a box at the site.
The site we stayed at was called Slab hut creek and was really badly sign posted in the dark. Its 10km from Reefton do if you see the brown Reefton sign, youve gone too far. It was a lovely small campsite witb only a few people there. We got there late and left early as we planned to sprnd the day in Hanmer springs pools.
S&L xx
so to catch you up a bit on the last few days ( i am now in burger king where we have free wifi and with us being only 30 mins away from the Picton - where we shall get our ferry in the morning, we have time to kill)
Anyway,when you drive from Haast to Fox glacier, bear in mind that this is the last place you can get fuel for 120km so fill up before you go through the woods at Haast. As the sta cards don't work at the 24hr petrol station which is unmanned and they have NO ATM. So we had to do the 120km on a quarter of a tank !!
My last post shows you that we did infact make it and we filled up at Fox which was slightly more expensive for fuel , but note that its 20c per litre moreexpensive again at Franz so fill up at Fox. We are currentlyfilling our spaceship tank for $120 and it gets us 700 km on average so not too bad.
Anyway fox is a short walk from the car park and is really beautiful. Fox town has a lot buzzing aroundand the Kiwi sanctuary is a must here. We didnt see the kiwis but the cafe and gift shop were great and not tooexpensive.
After lunchwe moved onto Franz Josef , to climb to the highest part that you are allowed, its 1 hr 30mins round trip so not too bad and totally worth it , you see waterfalls on the way and lots of information boards. It was nice to have a walk and some fresh air after being stuck in the camper for the past fews days.
We wanted to drive through to Hanmer springs but this was too far in one night so we stopped at a little town for sausage and chips. The town was called Whataroa and was such a lovely little village. We went to the village shop which was also a cafe and got saus and chips for $12!! The eve was warm so we sat on the benches outside as they were closing. It was a post office aswell as the store. We had a great hour or so sat here it was about 25km from FJ so afterwards we had a bit of a drive.We stopped at Greymouth on the way to reefton where we planned to camp. We filled up the petrol as we had only gotten a small amount before as it was more expensive, now it was back to 2.21 again , we filled up. We then went to Mcdonalds to get a sundae and then to the supermarket called New World to get some essentials. New world seems to be a lot cheaper than Countdown and is open until 11pm. Places in Nz seem to close early ; petrol stations, supermarkets and info centre oh and restaurants!!
I bought us some toilet roll which was very cheap at 4 for $1 , although there are a few toilets around NZ and in camper sites and citues. There is never any toilet roll as i suppose they dont get inspected often. So another thing to bear in mind. We already carry hand sanitiser but its a must for the public toilets!!
After this, we drove to a campsite recommended to us on a guide bookwe picked up in Christchurch. Its the DOC ( department of conservations - the owners of the campsite) book, it states the basic to expensive sites. Basic are usually $6 pppn and you leave your money in a box at the site.
The site we stayed at was called Slab hut creek and was really badly sign posted in the dark. Its 10km from Reefton do if you see the brown Reefton sign, youve gone too far. It was a lovely small campsite witb only a few people there. We got there late and left early as we planned to sprnd the day in Hanmer springs pools.
S&L xx
Tuesday 30 September 2014
Dunedin
So we arrived at Dunedin at 1pm and took a drive up the peninsula to try and find penguins and sea lions. We drove for around an hour up to the top and were then told you cant see any unless you go on a tour to private bays. So we got out and took some photos then drove back to the centre. We had a walk up to the centre where we found a restaurant called ratbags so just had to go. Its a student area and because it was a Monday it was half price at the restaurant for 1/2 metre pizzas , these were really yummy and great value. The guy who served us was lovely and took photos for our postale and brough us some tap water in a jug as he could probably tell we were on a budget !!
We got to sit outside and it was a beautiful day so it was warm enough to sit there and we sat there until 5pm. Everything was then closed so we walked around and saw the sights inc Cadbury world which was closed but took photos.
We then did a food shop for the campervan in countdown (NZ woolworths) then we tried to find a campsite and when we eventually did , it was expensive. So we drove to Milton through the night and found a lovely campsite in the town. $12 pp and it had all services inc a kitchen. The caretaker was lovely too. From Milton , the next day, we drove all day to Lake Panguria to a site at $6 a night and it had toilets but a lovely view this morning !! The clouds hug the mountain early morning and slowly loosen its grab as the hours tick by. Gorgeous !!
We then set off at 9am this morning to Fox Glacier. We were running on empty and the last petrol station was 120km from Fox but our cards wouldnt work there either. So we had 1/4 tank to get us 120km. We did it and are now full and sat at the wild life centre for kiwis at Franz Josef and are going to see the glaciet after our chicken and cranberry panini. Yummy !! This with a large drink was $12
We had stopped at Fox to take photos and met some people from Leeds, this world is getting smaller in many ways !!
xx
We got to sit outside and it was a beautiful day so it was warm enough to sit there and we sat there until 5pm. Everything was then closed so we walked around and saw the sights inc Cadbury world which was closed but took photos.
We then did a food shop for the campervan in countdown (NZ woolworths) then we tried to find a campsite and when we eventually did , it was expensive. So we drove to Milton through the night and found a lovely campsite in the town. $12 pp and it had all services inc a kitchen. The caretaker was lovely too. From Milton , the next day, we drove all day to Lake Panguria to a site at $6 a night and it had toilets but a lovely view this morning !! The clouds hug the mountain early morning and slowly loosen its grab as the hours tick by. Gorgeous !!
We then set off at 9am this morning to Fox Glacier. We were running on empty and the last petrol station was 120km from Fox but our cards wouldnt work there either. So we had 1/4 tank to get us 120km. We did it and are now full and sat at the wild life centre for kiwis at Franz Josef and are going to see the glaciet after our chicken and cranberry panini. Yummy !! This with a large drink was $12
We had stopped at Fox to take photos and met some people from Leeds, this world is getting smaller in many ways !!
xx
Lake Tekapo...
What a wonderful place !! The view was beautiful, we drove along the 8 highway and had spectacular views from aroubd 40km away. It liyerally took our breat away when we came over the mountains and saw the snowy mountains.
When we got there it was around 4pm , we went to the observatoru but it said it closed at 5pm so we went to the church and took photos, went to the lookout and took loads of photos there. Then we wanted to wait till sunset so we could try to see the milky way but as the clocks had gone forward we had a few hours to wait. We had already had a subway so we were ok for food, we found a restaurant on the front that had gorgeous views and free wifi after we bought two drinks at $9 !! Anyway i had time to send my postales and update the blog. We then watched the sunset then drove back to the lookout to see all the stars, we couldnt find the milky way but the stars were amazing !!! There were sooo many and so bright, it was beautiful. Unfortunatley they wouldnt come out on the camera so you'll just have to believe me !
We then drove through the night to a campsite in Herbert, it was a lovely setting but quite offroad, we got there around 11pm and there was only one other car. It had toilets and picnic areas. We awoke to some Nz's having a picnic and when we spoke to them , the woman had come from Hartlepool originally !! Small world. We then made our way to Dunedin.
When we got there it was around 4pm , we went to the observatoru but it said it closed at 5pm so we went to the church and took photos, went to the lookout and took loads of photos there. Then we wanted to wait till sunset so we could try to see the milky way but as the clocks had gone forward we had a few hours to wait. We had already had a subway so we were ok for food, we found a restaurant on the front that had gorgeous views and free wifi after we bought two drinks at $9 !! Anyway i had time to send my postales and update the blog. We then watched the sunset then drove back to the lookout to see all the stars, we couldnt find the milky way but the stars were amazing !!! There were sooo many and so bright, it was beautiful. Unfortunatley they wouldnt come out on the camera so you'll just have to believe me !
We then drove through the night to a campsite in Herbert, it was a lovely setting but quite offroad, we got there around 11pm and there was only one other car. It had toilets and picnic areas. We awoke to some Nz's having a picnic and when we spoke to them , the woman had come from Hartlepool originally !! Small world. We then made our way to Dunedin.
Saturday 27 September 2014
NZ Christchurch day 2
Morning all ,
Just a quick hello. Weather is a bit better today as the sun has reared it's head. Planning to make our way to Lake Tekapo later , going to see the Milky way this eve.
Hope everyone at home is ok, will write again next time we have wifi, only have 4 mins left on the jail comp. Will go take some pics now.
Missing everyone but having an amazing time, already fallen for NZ
Love S&L xxx
Just a quick hello. Weather is a bit better today as the sun has reared it's head. Planning to make our way to Lake Tekapo later , going to see the Milky way this eve.
Hope everyone at home is ok, will write again next time we have wifi, only have 4 mins left on the jail comp. Will go take some pics now.
Missing everyone but having an amazing time, already fallen for NZ
Love S&L xxx
New Zealand - Christchurch
So we got through customs no probs, there was a dog sniffing everyone and managed to find someone with a doughnut that they wernt allowed!!
Then we got the shuttle to our spaceship which only ended up costing us $15 for both of us , which was great as we had been told it would be $26. The depot for our spaceship was only 10 mins away and soon after we arrived, another couple turned up for theirs so we felt safe to stay the night at the depot. We got to bed around 3am and then i reawoke at 6.30am desperate for the loo, so we found a Mcdonalds and managed to wash and get breakfast here, Luke ha another instant win for a breakfast wrap , so he had that for free.
After our breakfast, we made our way to the jailhouse accom in CHC which wasn't very far away. I'm still getting used to the automatic campervan , but it's a laugh!!
The jailhouse accom is great and such fun. It's run like a hostel and is noisy at night as everything echoes in the corridor. I think this is purposely designed to get to the inmates when it was a prison. The cells are set up just as it was and everything has a prison reference. The staff are called wardens and theres loads of great pic oppurtunities !! After checking in, we were still very tired so decided to have a nap that lasted 5 hours !! Once we woke up , we decided to take a drive out to the Botantical gardens and had a short walk around as we had put our washing in at the jail. I wanted to be back for it finishing in the dryer before anyone else got to it.
The gardens were lovely , such beautiful colours and lots of people walking with dogs. We met a great guy with his dog , who told us the weather would get better. It was soo cold for us and very cloudly. Just like England !! After the washing, we took the camper out to the town to go see the Cathedral and oversized armchairs !!
When we got there, we couldn't believe how quiet everywhere was. We had been diverted soo many times and realised it was because they are still restoring everywhere since the earthquake. When we got to the Cathedral , we were so upset to see that this too had been a victim if the earthquake and half of it had been reduced to rubble and the other half was being supported by steel beams!!
We found a small mall that was completley abandoned and had ruin from the earthquake. everything inside was left just as it was and looked as if people had just run out when the earthquake hit. A guy was outside who had worked there as the caretaker and was too happy to tell us what had happened. The mall was locked up but we found a way inside. It was amazing but very sad at the same time.
We took a walk around the square and read all the info on how the earthquake has devastated and how they plan to rebuild the city, even though 4 years later and all they can do is to try support the buildings.
After a very interesting walk, we were soo cold and had found a nandos which we were soo excited about so had to eat here. It was better than at home, everyhting had more sauce and the corn on the cob even came in sauce !! It was slightly more expensive but no refillable drink, but had spent nothing as yet so we treated ourselves.
We then returned to jail ready for a great nights sleep , i read the book on the jail before falling asleep.
What a great day- again !!
Love S&L xxxx
Then we got the shuttle to our spaceship which only ended up costing us $15 for both of us , which was great as we had been told it would be $26. The depot for our spaceship was only 10 mins away and soon after we arrived, another couple turned up for theirs so we felt safe to stay the night at the depot. We got to bed around 3am and then i reawoke at 6.30am desperate for the loo, so we found a Mcdonalds and managed to wash and get breakfast here, Luke ha another instant win for a breakfast wrap , so he had that for free.
After our breakfast, we made our way to the jailhouse accom in CHC which wasn't very far away. I'm still getting used to the automatic campervan , but it's a laugh!!
The jailhouse accom is great and such fun. It's run like a hostel and is noisy at night as everything echoes in the corridor. I think this is purposely designed to get to the inmates when it was a prison. The cells are set up just as it was and everything has a prison reference. The staff are called wardens and theres loads of great pic oppurtunities !! After checking in, we were still very tired so decided to have a nap that lasted 5 hours !! Once we woke up , we decided to take a drive out to the Botantical gardens and had a short walk around as we had put our washing in at the jail. I wanted to be back for it finishing in the dryer before anyone else got to it.
The gardens were lovely , such beautiful colours and lots of people walking with dogs. We met a great guy with his dog , who told us the weather would get better. It was soo cold for us and very cloudly. Just like England !! After the washing, we took the camper out to the town to go see the Cathedral and oversized armchairs !!
When we got there, we couldn't believe how quiet everywhere was. We had been diverted soo many times and realised it was because they are still restoring everywhere since the earthquake. When we got to the Cathedral , we were so upset to see that this too had been a victim if the earthquake and half of it had been reduced to rubble and the other half was being supported by steel beams!!
We found a small mall that was completley abandoned and had ruin from the earthquake. everything inside was left just as it was and looked as if people had just run out when the earthquake hit. A guy was outside who had worked there as the caretaker and was too happy to tell us what had happened. The mall was locked up but we found a way inside. It was amazing but very sad at the same time.
We took a walk around the square and read all the info on how the earthquake has devastated and how they plan to rebuild the city, even though 4 years later and all they can do is to try support the buildings.
After a very interesting walk, we were soo cold and had found a nandos which we were soo excited about so had to eat here. It was better than at home, everyhting had more sauce and the corn on the cob even came in sauce !! It was slightly more expensive but no refillable drink, but had spent nothing as yet so we treated ourselves.
We then returned to jail ready for a great nights sleep , i read the book on the jail before falling asleep.
What a great day- again !!
Love S&L xxxx
Sydney day 2 ...
So we had a great nights sleep at Macleay lodge and awoke at 9am.
There was a free tour that we wanted to do at 10.30am but we still needed to go to an internet cafe to print our free ticket to the zoo. We asked reception how much it would be for aticket to the zoo and she said $36 , i had looked online and it had only been $28 so we decided we would buy at an internet cafe. There are loads of internet cafes in Sydney and we found one for a good price, $0.50 for 10 mins or $1.50 10- 30 mins . We printed our stuff out then decided to walk into town.
We were told to walk up road until we see a huge coca cola sign and turn right and carry on walking. It took around 20 mins and was an interesting walk. We stopped at a pub along the way for a drink, the woman said the orange juice had run out and didnt make a full glass so we could have it for free, bonus!!
We then walked straight up to Darling harbour , where Sydney zoo is, it started to rain so we ran into the zoo and joined the que for 10 minutes. The rain got really bad and it was thunder and lightening, which was cool to watch from indoors. However the wind blew the free ticket out of Luke's hand and into the Koala enclosure in the foyer!! So we had to wait for a keeper to rescue it so we were allowed in!!
Anyway once in, everything was undercover with only the minimal amount of rain coming through. There was a load to see , when reaching the cafe , you can buy a photo pack with the koala for 2 people its $25, you get two main photos , two certificates and 6 small photos. It's a great deal, you can't hold the koala but you're pretty close.
We saw the huge croc, Rex along with Kangaroos, wallabies etc. We had a great time and spent around 2 hours in here, there was a great gift shop at the end where there were t shirts on sale , so we got two :)
After this , we were really hungry and tried to find a Mcdonalds, we ended up walking the seafront up to Circular Quay , right up through the rocks - which were lovely but soo quiet - i guess because of the time of year.
After our Mcdonalds at Circular Quay, we got the free bus - the 555 up to the Westfield centre , where the skytower is. Once your up the lift, it has a lovely foyer with plenty of shops. The experience includes information on the tower and other high towers around the world, then you are taken into a cinema room to see a 4D film of sydney. This was actually filmed by people from the UK and was really interesting, you get splattered with water with the water scenes and wind blows your hair.
We went up the tower from around 5pm and waited until the sun set like we did at the Burj, so we saw Sydney in the day and night. There was a cafe and gift shop and plenty of telescopes with great info to keep us amused.
After the skytower, we did a bit of souvenir shopping in their shop downstairs and had to buy a teddy !! Then we looked at a few shops before walking back to the hotel to sort bags out ready for check out in the morning.
We were very fortunate and had a woolworths next door to us so we got pumpkin soup and bread to have as dinner when we got in as we had a microwave.
The next morning, we went out to get Luke's hair cut and i used some free wifi at a travel agency to update our blog and add the photos. We were there a few hours as Luke was checking the football news whilst i was hurridly typing away. WE only had until 1.45pm so we quickly went to cafe to get hot dog and chips to use up the rest of our dollars and then was picked up by the shuttle to go the airport. The airport was easy with Air New Zealands self check in. We could check in as soon as we got there even though we were 3.5hours early.
When we got through , there was plenty of shops and i went straight in pandora and Luke bought me a Sydney opera house charm as my birthday present. (He still owed me one)
Our flight to NZ was great , food and drink orders from your tv !! The food was good too, there wasn't that many good films in our opinion but we found some - i watched Mrs Browns boys - which i don't recommend but i had to watch it all.
We arrived in NZ at 12am , as our flight was slightly delayed.
Having THEE best time - loving every second !!!
Sophie & Luke
xxx
There was a free tour that we wanted to do at 10.30am but we still needed to go to an internet cafe to print our free ticket to the zoo. We asked reception how much it would be for aticket to the zoo and she said $36 , i had looked online and it had only been $28 so we decided we would buy at an internet cafe. There are loads of internet cafes in Sydney and we found one for a good price, $0.50 for 10 mins or $1.50 10- 30 mins . We printed our stuff out then decided to walk into town.
We were told to walk up road until we see a huge coca cola sign and turn right and carry on walking. It took around 20 mins and was an interesting walk. We stopped at a pub along the way for a drink, the woman said the orange juice had run out and didnt make a full glass so we could have it for free, bonus!!
We then walked straight up to Darling harbour , where Sydney zoo is, it started to rain so we ran into the zoo and joined the que for 10 minutes. The rain got really bad and it was thunder and lightening, which was cool to watch from indoors. However the wind blew the free ticket out of Luke's hand and into the Koala enclosure in the foyer!! So we had to wait for a keeper to rescue it so we were allowed in!!
Anyway once in, everything was undercover with only the minimal amount of rain coming through. There was a load to see , when reaching the cafe , you can buy a photo pack with the koala for 2 people its $25, you get two main photos , two certificates and 6 small photos. It's a great deal, you can't hold the koala but you're pretty close.
We saw the huge croc, Rex along with Kangaroos, wallabies etc. We had a great time and spent around 2 hours in here, there was a great gift shop at the end where there were t shirts on sale , so we got two :)
After this , we were really hungry and tried to find a Mcdonalds, we ended up walking the seafront up to Circular Quay , right up through the rocks - which were lovely but soo quiet - i guess because of the time of year.
After our Mcdonalds at Circular Quay, we got the free bus - the 555 up to the Westfield centre , where the skytower is. Once your up the lift, it has a lovely foyer with plenty of shops. The experience includes information on the tower and other high towers around the world, then you are taken into a cinema room to see a 4D film of sydney. This was actually filmed by people from the UK and was really interesting, you get splattered with water with the water scenes and wind blows your hair.
We went up the tower from around 5pm and waited until the sun set like we did at the Burj, so we saw Sydney in the day and night. There was a cafe and gift shop and plenty of telescopes with great info to keep us amused.
After the skytower, we did a bit of souvenir shopping in their shop downstairs and had to buy a teddy !! Then we looked at a few shops before walking back to the hotel to sort bags out ready for check out in the morning.
We were very fortunate and had a woolworths next door to us so we got pumpkin soup and bread to have as dinner when we got in as we had a microwave.
The next morning, we went out to get Luke's hair cut and i used some free wifi at a travel agency to update our blog and add the photos. We were there a few hours as Luke was checking the football news whilst i was hurridly typing away. WE only had until 1.45pm so we quickly went to cafe to get hot dog and chips to use up the rest of our dollars and then was picked up by the shuttle to go the airport. The airport was easy with Air New Zealands self check in. We could check in as soon as we got there even though we were 3.5hours early.
When we got through , there was plenty of shops and i went straight in pandora and Luke bought me a Sydney opera house charm as my birthday present. (He still owed me one)
Our flight to NZ was great , food and drink orders from your tv !! The food was good too, there wasn't that many good films in our opinion but we found some - i watched Mrs Browns boys - which i don't recommend but i had to watch it all.
We arrived in NZ at 12am , as our flight was slightly delayed.
Having THEE best time - loving every second !!!
Sophie & Luke
xxx
Friday 26 September 2014
Sydney...
So ou plane landed in Sydney at 10am and we were all ready to go through immigration when they told us that whoever had done our aus visas hadnt put our middle names and thats why we couldnt get through the express lane. So another thing i must make STA aware of....
Anyway, once bagagge was collected we went to declare our stuff nnd queued around twenty minutes and they werent even interested, they told us to go straight through.
We went to book our return hotel shuttle once we were through and the cashcard wouldnt work so Luke had to pull the money out at the ATM which made us latw to miss the first bus. By the time we got sorted at the hotel and ready to explore it was 2pm.
The hotel was already paid for and the shuttle bus was $32 pp return and we never found anything cheaper. We stayed at the Macleay lodge and again , nothing like the pictures on the internet !! It was cramped and very dusty !! There was builders doing work next door 9am - 3pm which didnt really effect us but was annoying when we arrived.
We knew we wanted to do a zoo and the sydney sky tower and reception had an offer of a 10% discount so we bought them there. They are valid for 30 days too. It was $60 extra to do the skywalk so we didntbother with that. We later found out at Manly tourist office that youcan get on the day tickets very cheap there.
We went straight out to get the 311 bus outside woolworths to Circular Quay it was $2.30 pp and took around 15-20 mins. At circular Quay there are many piers to get the boats. We bought our ticket to Manly at pier 5 and boarded at pier 3 , well tried to, we had a ticket for any ither boat but Manly so he lets us through anyway but our ticket hadnt been swiped.
The boat was meant to be $7 pp return to Manly and takes 20-30 mins , it has charging devices and free wifi , there is a cafe on board too. We sat at the front outside and got great views but it was very windy and cold for us coming from Thailand. I was wearing a dress and it was difficult to hold in the wind so we had to go inside after a while. It is spring in Sydney so it is 18-21 degrees so we were very cold. We got to Manly ok and only had to walk accross the beach to get to the Sanctuary , they even had a nandos here but it did different but better stuff than the UK. We paid $24.50 for the sanctuary but didnt mind as the animals have been saved to live there. They even had a wing gor sick animals they are currently looking after. It was great to see all the animals but especially the Sea turtles as a lot of them were the same as we had seen in Dubai.
We had gotten to the sanctuary at four as we had just missed the 3pm boat , they close 5 mins before so bear that in mind!!! Becausr we had gotten there late, we only had an hour to do the sanctuary, which was plenty of time but we may have done the shark scuba diving if we had more time.
Obce we had finished at the sanctuary , we got the 5.25pm boat bacj to Sydney which meant that we got great pictures of the sunset at the harbour. Try to get to the boat early as the outdoor fills up fast fir the sunset pics, yoy can sit inside on the window seat as the windows open for viewing but the aus seem to like to sit here and not look out of the window once !!
Once we got off the boat , we took a walk to the Sydney opera house and took a few photos and walked right up to it so we could touch it !!
It was great and very pish inside, you could see through the glass areas. You can then walk underground through the parade of shops and the bar and restaurant of sydney harbour which actually isnt too badly priced. We looked at the ugg shops and then returned to Mcdonalds as we had earlier in the day as its the only place affordable , even the 7-11 works out the same price. We got some sundaes and returned home.
Earlier at Mcdonalds, we had won an attraction pass on their monopoly instant win cards. So we decided to use it for the Sydney wildlife zoo. So basically it was buy one get one free !! So we had tomorrows plans sorted along with the sky tower !!!
Anyway, once bagagge was collected we went to declare our stuff nnd queued around twenty minutes and they werent even interested, they told us to go straight through.
We went to book our return hotel shuttle once we were through and the cashcard wouldnt work so Luke had to pull the money out at the ATM which made us latw to miss the first bus. By the time we got sorted at the hotel and ready to explore it was 2pm.
The hotel was already paid for and the shuttle bus was $32 pp return and we never found anything cheaper. We stayed at the Macleay lodge and again , nothing like the pictures on the internet !! It was cramped and very dusty !! There was builders doing work next door 9am - 3pm which didnt really effect us but was annoying when we arrived.
We knew we wanted to do a zoo and the sydney sky tower and reception had an offer of a 10% discount so we bought them there. They are valid for 30 days too. It was $60 extra to do the skywalk so we didntbother with that. We later found out at Manly tourist office that youcan get on the day tickets very cheap there.
We went straight out to get the 311 bus outside woolworths to Circular Quay it was $2.30 pp and took around 15-20 mins. At circular Quay there are many piers to get the boats. We bought our ticket to Manly at pier 5 and boarded at pier 3 , well tried to, we had a ticket for any ither boat but Manly so he lets us through anyway but our ticket hadnt been swiped.
The boat was meant to be $7 pp return to Manly and takes 20-30 mins , it has charging devices and free wifi , there is a cafe on board too. We sat at the front outside and got great views but it was very windy and cold for us coming from Thailand. I was wearing a dress and it was difficult to hold in the wind so we had to go inside after a while. It is spring in Sydney so it is 18-21 degrees so we were very cold. We got to Manly ok and only had to walk accross the beach to get to the Sanctuary , they even had a nandos here but it did different but better stuff than the UK. We paid $24.50 for the sanctuary but didnt mind as the animals have been saved to live there. They even had a wing gor sick animals they are currently looking after. It was great to see all the animals but especially the Sea turtles as a lot of them were the same as we had seen in Dubai.
We had gotten to the sanctuary at four as we had just missed the 3pm boat , they close 5 mins before so bear that in mind!!! Becausr we had gotten there late, we only had an hour to do the sanctuary, which was plenty of time but we may have done the shark scuba diving if we had more time.
Obce we had finished at the sanctuary , we got the 5.25pm boat bacj to Sydney which meant that we got great pictures of the sunset at the harbour. Try to get to the boat early as the outdoor fills up fast fir the sunset pics, yoy can sit inside on the window seat as the windows open for viewing but the aus seem to like to sit here and not look out of the window once !!
Once we got off the boat , we took a walk to the Sydney opera house and took a few photos and walked right up to it so we could touch it !!
It was great and very pish inside, you could see through the glass areas. You can then walk underground through the parade of shops and the bar and restaurant of sydney harbour which actually isnt too badly priced. We looked at the ugg shops and then returned to Mcdonalds as we had earlier in the day as its the only place affordable , even the 7-11 works out the same price. We got some sundaes and returned home.
Earlier at Mcdonalds, we had won an attraction pass on their monopoly instant win cards. So we decided to use it for the Sydney wildlife zoo. So basically it was buy one get one free !! So we had tomorrows plans sorted along with the sky tower !!!
Bangkok
So we had flown back into Bangkok Don Mueng and got a taxi back to Khao san road as we already had a hotel booked called the swasadee banglumpoo inn which happened to be next door to the hotel i stayed at last year with Thaintro.
The hotel was 665 baht which inc buffet breakfast. Please do not book into this hotel !!!!!!! We asked if Leigh could join us in our room and reception said she could for 200 bht but she would have to share our double bed with usor sleep on the floor, which thete was no room anyway. The rooms were tiny !!
They also wanted 500 bht deposit for the room but Leigh sugeseted giving our passports which they were happy with too as it meant we werent going to be left with 500 bht in the morning that we didnt need.
The room was not what was shown on the internet at all , it was tiny , the bed was suited so one had to climb over the other to get out and our cashcards didnt work , surprise surprise !! Nowhere but ATMs seem to accept the cards !! Occasionally we get somewhere where it works but its embarassing when it doesnt, when your trying 5 different cards !!
Anyway the bathroom door opened onto the toilet, the breakfast had flies crawling all over it and the coffee needing refilling twice and they were so slow about doing it !!
Anyway, we decided to go to the Indian restaurant again as we loved it so much last time, then we went shopping on Khao San and found a great ice cream parlour wherevi had peanut butter and chocolate with choc fudge sauce and nuts and cream for 85bht !! After a few hours and some beats speakers later, we went back to our hotel to repack our bags for sydney. Making sure we put all our declaration items in our hand luggage.
In the morning we tried to fill up best we could on breakfast - thank goodness my auntie had packed me some marmite !! So will filled ip on toast and chicken sausage !! We had another morninf of trapesing around the stalls as lukes flip flops had given in and then we all found amini bus to take us to the airport for 100 baht each. The taxis were charging well over 400 !!
We got to the airport early with Leigh who was staying the night there as her flight was the next day. We all grabbed a burger king and i had their special of mushroom and cheese yummy. Then it was time for us to board and walked the very long way to our gate.
We had a great flight but would not recommend malaysian airlines to fly again, most their films are asian and muslim prayers are read out and music is played on the flight so couldnt sleep !! We got to Sydney fine after connecting at KL which was a great airport but no wifi really but a good Mcdonalds and easy to change your money to their currency ringit. Plus our cards worked at McD so i could get a hersheys cake and it was gorgeous !!
Stay tuned for Sydney ,
S&L xxx
The hotel was 665 baht which inc buffet breakfast. Please do not book into this hotel !!!!!!! We asked if Leigh could join us in our room and reception said she could for 200 bht but she would have to share our double bed with usor sleep on the floor, which thete was no room anyway. The rooms were tiny !!
They also wanted 500 bht deposit for the room but Leigh sugeseted giving our passports which they were happy with too as it meant we werent going to be left with 500 bht in the morning that we didnt need.
The room was not what was shown on the internet at all , it was tiny , the bed was suited so one had to climb over the other to get out and our cashcards didnt work , surprise surprise !! Nowhere but ATMs seem to accept the cards !! Occasionally we get somewhere where it works but its embarassing when it doesnt, when your trying 5 different cards !!
Anyway the bathroom door opened onto the toilet, the breakfast had flies crawling all over it and the coffee needing refilling twice and they were so slow about doing it !!
Anyway, we decided to go to the Indian restaurant again as we loved it so much last time, then we went shopping on Khao San and found a great ice cream parlour wherevi had peanut butter and chocolate with choc fudge sauce and nuts and cream for 85bht !! After a few hours and some beats speakers later, we went back to our hotel to repack our bags for sydney. Making sure we put all our declaration items in our hand luggage.
In the morning we tried to fill up best we could on breakfast - thank goodness my auntie had packed me some marmite !! So will filled ip on toast and chicken sausage !! We had another morninf of trapesing around the stalls as lukes flip flops had given in and then we all found amini bus to take us to the airport for 100 baht each. The taxis were charging well over 400 !!
We got to the airport early with Leigh who was staying the night there as her flight was the next day. We all grabbed a burger king and i had their special of mushroom and cheese yummy. Then it was time for us to board and walked the very long way to our gate.
We had a great flight but would not recommend malaysian airlines to fly again, most their films are asian and muslim prayers are read out and music is played on the flight so couldnt sleep !! We got to Sydney fine after connecting at KL which was a great airport but no wifi really but a good Mcdonalds and easy to change your money to their currency ringit. Plus our cards worked at McD so i could get a hersheys cake and it was gorgeous !!
Stay tuned for Sydney ,
S&L xxx
Thursday 25 September 2014
Koh Tao 2 ...
....snorkelling . The staff were really great as Luke can't float they gave him two lifejackets to wear, but he was still unsure about going in the water but had seen Leigh and I having such a great time , he wanted to join. So the staff went out with him with a life ring to hold onto so he could view the fish.
Anyway he got super confident with their help and started to really enjoy it , so much so , that he came out with Leigh and I , really far out to view all the brighter fish who were hiding in the coral. Once we had done all the snorkelling, we were dropped off at Nang Yuang island for two hours where we eventually managed to climb upto the top to see the stunning view. Leigh and I really struggled and couldnt wait to get down and get a drink. We all went to the little bar on the other island where we got THEE best chocolate milshake ever !!
We then all returned back to our hotel and got ready to have an evening at the mini golf and leisure centre down theroad from us.We had seen it whilst walking the previous night , Luke wanted to watch the footy and Leigh and I wanted to play mini golf. We had the best time. Golf was 180 baht pp but yoy could play as many times as you liked but it look Leigh and I hours to get around onceand both our scores were pretty bad.
They did food too so we all had garlic breads and pizzas and sweet potato chips and two drinks each plus a cheesecake and brownie, 785 baht for Luke and I and it was really scrummy.
The next morning we went and got our ferry tickets from a shop on the front for 600 baht as the pier wanted 900. The boat didnt leave until 3 and took 1.50 mins so we got our picnic from 7-11 again even though the Koh tao one was more expensive than the Koh Samui or Bangkok. We just sat on the beach playing monopoly on the ipad until the boat arrived to take us to Koh Samui.
We arrived at Seatran pier which is between Big bhudda and Nathon , it's half way accross the island. So the van back to Nathon was only 50 bht each and we stayed at the old ladies again and as soon as we waljed in , the receptionist recognised us and gave us our same room at the same rate.
When it was time for dinner we went to the restaurant on the corner called the view. It was here that we tried shark , it tasted just like cod. We had pumpkin soup and penang curry. We then got a magnum from 7-11 and went to bed as we had to get the ferry at 8am to get back to Surat Thani.
We got our tickets from the pier next to Nathon , there are plenty of ticket touts waiting and all at 400 baht for the ferry and bus.
We had a great journey and recieved watwr and cookies on the plane again.
S&L xx
Anyway he got super confident with their help and started to really enjoy it , so much so , that he came out with Leigh and I , really far out to view all the brighter fish who were hiding in the coral. Once we had done all the snorkelling, we were dropped off at Nang Yuang island for two hours where we eventually managed to climb upto the top to see the stunning view. Leigh and I really struggled and couldnt wait to get down and get a drink. We all went to the little bar on the other island where we got THEE best chocolate milshake ever !!
We then all returned back to our hotel and got ready to have an evening at the mini golf and leisure centre down theroad from us.We had seen it whilst walking the previous night , Luke wanted to watch the footy and Leigh and I wanted to play mini golf. We had the best time. Golf was 180 baht pp but yoy could play as many times as you liked but it look Leigh and I hours to get around onceand both our scores were pretty bad.
They did food too so we all had garlic breads and pizzas and sweet potato chips and two drinks each plus a cheesecake and brownie, 785 baht for Luke and I and it was really scrummy.
The next morning we went and got our ferry tickets from a shop on the front for 600 baht as the pier wanted 900. The boat didnt leave until 3 and took 1.50 mins so we got our picnic from 7-11 again even though the Koh tao one was more expensive than the Koh Samui or Bangkok. We just sat on the beach playing monopoly on the ipad until the boat arrived to take us to Koh Samui.
We arrived at Seatran pier which is between Big bhudda and Nathon , it's half way accross the island. So the van back to Nathon was only 50 bht each and we stayed at the old ladies again and as soon as we waljed in , the receptionist recognised us and gave us our same room at the same rate.
When it was time for dinner we went to the restaurant on the corner called the view. It was here that we tried shark , it tasted just like cod. We had pumpkin soup and penang curry. We then got a magnum from 7-11 and went to bed as we had to get the ferry at 8am to get back to Surat Thani.
We got our tickets from the pier next to Nathon , there are plenty of ticket touts waiting and all at 400 baht for the ferry and bus.
We had a great journey and recieved watwr and cookies on the plane again.
S&L xx
Koh Tao
We walked for half an hour up the main road , past the mini roundabout and right, upto a place called Yuang Thai food. It was only 600 bht for all three of us , a night but only fan as aircon, we thought this would be ok , but boy were we wrong !! It was sooo stuffy all the time and so difficult to sleep !!
After we booked in and got sorted, we made our way to the beach but first walked past a pancake seller, who could put just about anything on your pancake. I had coconut, chocolate and peanut butter - YUMMMMM
We laid by the sea all day , well Leigh and I went in the sea which had bvghcgreally warm and then cold patches but we saw a variety of fish including tiny weeny small ones. At around 4pm we went back to our hotel for a shower ready for dinner but we had to wait for the sun to set as we were sooo hot , we just kept needing to have showrrs because of how much we were sweating !!
We used this time to wash our clothes and hang them out to dry on the balcony with a washing lines and pegs we bought from poundland back snorkellibg. in the Uk.
Once washed and dressed, we went out for a wander and walked up and arouns the back of the hotel , we soon reached the road behind the beachfront and found a lovely place called Dive point , it was right on the seafront so we got to watch the sunset. We had garlic baguettes and burger and spagetti bolognaise then i had a chilli choc fondue with fruit and luke and leigh had brownies. It came to 960 bht for Luke and I but worth it!!
We then went to bed as we had booked a snorkelling trip earlier in the day from a shop on the main road. They are all the same price with different companies but we went with Songthong tours and they were excellent. We all met at a restaurant on the main road and boarded our boat. Bearing in mind you have to climb onto 5 other boats first to get to yours. You get free coffe , tea , water and biscuits whilst on the boat too. Lunch was a chicken curry with fried egg and fruit galore all day. We did 5 different snorkelling points all around the island and then had 2 hours exploration time on Nang yuang island. All this for only 800 bht each!!
The snorkelling was fab , i saw some great fish , multi coloured , blue , striped, small , big, yellow , slugs etc I would really recommend. The company gives you the snorkel and mask and i would recommend wearing a t shirt in the water as your back is constantly out whilst
Bangkok -> Surat Thani -> Koh Samui
So we arrived back in Bangkok and got dropped off at Khao san road to get a hotel for the night before we had to be at Don Mueng airport the next morning, our flight was at 6.10am !!
We found a nice little hotel on the street before Koh San that worked out at 250 bht each, it was grubby but ok for a few hours sleep !!
That night we went for a walk down Koh San and to a lane around the back of the temple, where i had gone last year for an amazing curry. This Indian was no longer here so we found another right on the corner of this 'alleyway' , keep walking straight up and you'll see it. It's upstairs on a balcony. The food was great. We had three Chicken Massala Curries with rice and 2 garlic naans - massive !! Two drinks each and it totalled 810 bht for all three of us. It was great food and great value for money, couldn't eat anything afterwards !!
We then made our way to a bar on Khao San road that plays live music , i also went here last year and really enjoyed the singing and great views of Khao San !! The drinks are a little more than you would normally pay but deffo worth it for one.
After this we went back to our hotel to get some sleep.
We reawoke at 4am and got a taxi to the airport for 150 baht. Our flight was good and we got free water and a brioche bun. Once we arrived at Surat Thani , it was 7.15am, the airport has many leaflets on thinsg to see and do. It also had many kiosks and one will provide you with bus and ferry tickets to get you to Koh samui. We paid 400 bht each which included the bus - 1.5 hrs and then the ferry 1.5hrs. We got to Koh Samui around 12.30am and the bus had left the airport at 8am, so great value for money.
We loved Koh Samui as soon as we arrived, there were a lot of taxi touts all wanting to take you somewhere, but these are expensive!! So we decided to walk and find a hotel , well we must have walked for around 1 hour in the hot sun !! Luke had a snake walk right infront of him , practically over his feet, scary stuff. Koh samui seemed a lot more expensive than Bangkok. We eventually found a hotel we were happy with (financially too) It was 250 bht each for the three of us and was owned by a lovely old lady. It turned out it was right where we started which is just by Nathon Pier , turn right up the coast and its up a driveway, look for it's sign. (Yuan buan )
It was a minute walk from the seafront and came with aircon , water, wifi and coffee!!! It was a five minute walk from the piers. After getting showers and sorting our stuff out, we took a walk along the beach and sunbathed on some lounge chairs infront of someones hotel. No one came out and we could get on their wifi !! The weather wasn't too great so we just slept until we got hungry and got a picnic from 7-11, consisting of a toastie, burger , crisps and 2 litre fanta each. It came to 142 bht !!!
We then went back to the hotel to shower etc again. Then we went out for dinner to a place along the front which was the last one before you cross the road - turn left out of the driveway and keep walking on this side of the road until you reach this restaurant. DONT GO IN. The service was rubbish , the cocktails were horrible and the food midly better.
We went back to the hotel a few hours later and had an early night ready to all get our different ferries back.
Leigh and I woke up early and had coffee in the lounge. Leigh asked if she could come with us to Koh Tao instead of travelling to Phuket like she originally intended. Ofcourse we said yes and we all went to 7-11 before getting a van to Big Bhudda pier - where the ferries depart for Koh Tao and Koh Samui.
The open top vans can fit 8 people in and it was only 50 bht each to get to the other side of the island which took around 40 mins. Here we walked again looking for accom for ages, we eventually settled on a three bed for 800 bht owned by a friendly Belgian called the Friendly hotel. He managed to sort out our tickets to Koh Tao at 600 bht each. We spent the day on the beach here which was a lovely day , so we got in the sea too. It was a five minute walk from the hotel.
We found a great little English place for dinner where we got sausage and mash, pie and casserole. It was soo yummy and cheap and the guy who owned it was lovely. It was on the same street as the hotel and easy to find with its very large Fish n Chip banner hanging from its ceiling!!
We were up early to be at the Seatran pier for 8am , it was a 20 min walk from our hotel and was on the same road. The boat was smart and we got a pot noodle on the boat- thai equivalent for 20 baht and it was sooo yummy. It took 1.5hrs to Koh tao and stops at Koh Samui first. The journey was good and we were all sooo excited.
Love S and L xx
We found a nice little hotel on the street before Koh San that worked out at 250 bht each, it was grubby but ok for a few hours sleep !!
That night we went for a walk down Koh San and to a lane around the back of the temple, where i had gone last year for an amazing curry. This Indian was no longer here so we found another right on the corner of this 'alleyway' , keep walking straight up and you'll see it. It's upstairs on a balcony. The food was great. We had three Chicken Massala Curries with rice and 2 garlic naans - massive !! Two drinks each and it totalled 810 bht for all three of us. It was great food and great value for money, couldn't eat anything afterwards !!
We then made our way to a bar on Khao San road that plays live music , i also went here last year and really enjoyed the singing and great views of Khao San !! The drinks are a little more than you would normally pay but deffo worth it for one.
After this we went back to our hotel to get some sleep.
We reawoke at 4am and got a taxi to the airport for 150 baht. Our flight was good and we got free water and a brioche bun. Once we arrived at Surat Thani , it was 7.15am, the airport has many leaflets on thinsg to see and do. It also had many kiosks and one will provide you with bus and ferry tickets to get you to Koh samui. We paid 400 bht each which included the bus - 1.5 hrs and then the ferry 1.5hrs. We got to Koh Samui around 12.30am and the bus had left the airport at 8am, so great value for money.
We loved Koh Samui as soon as we arrived, there were a lot of taxi touts all wanting to take you somewhere, but these are expensive!! So we decided to walk and find a hotel , well we must have walked for around 1 hour in the hot sun !! Luke had a snake walk right infront of him , practically over his feet, scary stuff. Koh samui seemed a lot more expensive than Bangkok. We eventually found a hotel we were happy with (financially too) It was 250 bht each for the three of us and was owned by a lovely old lady. It turned out it was right where we started which is just by Nathon Pier , turn right up the coast and its up a driveway, look for it's sign. (Yuan buan )
It was a minute walk from the seafront and came with aircon , water, wifi and coffee!!! It was a five minute walk from the piers. After getting showers and sorting our stuff out, we took a walk along the beach and sunbathed on some lounge chairs infront of someones hotel. No one came out and we could get on their wifi !! The weather wasn't too great so we just slept until we got hungry and got a picnic from 7-11, consisting of a toastie, burger , crisps and 2 litre fanta each. It came to 142 bht !!!
We went back to the hotel a few hours later and had an early night ready to all get our different ferries back.
Leigh and I woke up early and had coffee in the lounge. Leigh asked if she could come with us to Koh Tao instead of travelling to Phuket like she originally intended. Ofcourse we said yes and we all went to 7-11 before getting a van to Big Bhudda pier - where the ferries depart for Koh Tao and Koh Samui.
The open top vans can fit 8 people in and it was only 50 bht each to get to the other side of the island which took around 40 mins. Here we walked again looking for accom for ages, we eventually settled on a three bed for 800 bht owned by a friendly Belgian called the Friendly hotel. He managed to sort out our tickets to Koh Tao at 600 bht each. We spent the day on the beach here which was a lovely day , so we got in the sea too. It was a five minute walk from the hotel.
We were up early to be at the Seatran pier for 8am , it was a 20 min walk from our hotel and was on the same road. The boat was smart and we got a pot noodle on the boat- thai equivalent for 20 baht and it was sooo yummy. It took 1.5hrs to Koh tao and stops at Koh Samui first. The journey was good and we were all sooo excited.
Love S and L xx
Monday 22 September 2014
Angkor wat temples
So we were taken by tuk tuk to see Angkor wat temples, but first we had to get our tickets . There were day, 3 day or week passes and it was $20 for the day passes, they took our photos and sent us on our way.
Our first stop was Angkor wat, Lucky dropped us off and waited ( he has a hamock that attaches to the roof of his tuk tuk so he can sleep - he does work 24 hours) Anyway Angkor wat was truely beautiful , it wasn't too busy but we feel it was the time of year as nowhere has been busy and Lucky said these two months are the worst for trade. You must walk around the whole of the wat as it is spectacular. There are a few people trying to sell you guides that start at 500 and go to 50 once you show no interest. There are also a few people that pass you incense sticks and show ypu how to bow to the statues as a sign on good luck but they are hoping you give a donation that they say they will give to the monks. There was a monk inside that would give you a blessing in hope of a donation. The restoration of the temples are quite dissatisfying and disappointing as they are cemented together and there is netting around parts are parts are man-made in concrete. i appreciate why they do it but it does ruin the authenticity and originality of the temples. When we wanted to climb to the top, they said we weren't allowed as we weren't covered up , but we had taken sarongs to cover ourselves but they wanted long trousers and t shirts. We wished we would have been told as we werent allowed us and it was very disappointing. We could have purchased stuff cheaply if we had known , there were enough stalls on the way.
Banteay Kdei
Ta Prohm (tomb raider)
Phnom Bakheng
These were all beautiful temples with trees growing around them and a lot were in there natural state with only the entrances restored. There were a lot of man made collections if small rocks piled on top if each other, Lucky said this was for good luck so we balanced some on top too.
There were some original carvings into the stones and statues galore. It was really nice to see these temples that were so old , still majority standing and in such good condition seen as though millions visit every year.
We then ate again at at the restaurant and told Lucky how much we were dreading getting the train back and he told us about the VIP buses for $25 pp that had air con and free water and would get us back in 6 hours.
This coach back was fine, a little bit squished and a bit of waiting on the other side of the border for the other coach, there was only 13 people allowed in the mini bus so it was ok.
Love S&L xxx
Our first stop was Angkor wat, Lucky dropped us off and waited ( he has a hamock that attaches to the roof of his tuk tuk so he can sleep - he does work 24 hours) Anyway Angkor wat was truely beautiful , it wasn't too busy but we feel it was the time of year as nowhere has been busy and Lucky said these two months are the worst for trade. You must walk around the whole of the wat as it is spectacular. There are a few people trying to sell you guides that start at 500 and go to 50 once you show no interest. There are also a few people that pass you incense sticks and show ypu how to bow to the statues as a sign on good luck but they are hoping you give a donation that they say they will give to the monks. There was a monk inside that would give you a blessing in hope of a donation. The restoration of the temples are quite dissatisfying and disappointing as they are cemented together and there is netting around parts are parts are man-made in concrete. i appreciate why they do it but it does ruin the authenticity and originality of the temples. When we wanted to climb to the top, they said we weren't allowed as we weren't covered up , but we had taken sarongs to cover ourselves but they wanted long trousers and t shirts. We wished we would have been told as we werent allowed us and it was very disappointing. We could have purchased stuff cheaply if we had known , there were enough stalls on the way.
Banteay Kdei
Ta Prohm (tomb raider)
Phnom Bakheng
These were all beautiful temples with trees growing around them and a lot were in there natural state with only the entrances restored. There were a lot of man made collections if small rocks piled on top if each other, Lucky said this was for good luck so we balanced some on top too.
There were some original carvings into the stones and statues galore. It was really nice to see these temples that were so old , still majority standing and in such good condition seen as though millions visit every year.
We then ate again at at the restaurant and told Lucky how much we were dreading getting the train back and he told us about the VIP buses for $25 pp that had air con and free water and would get us back in 6 hours.
This coach back was fine, a little bit squished and a bit of waiting on the other side of the border for the other coach, there was only 13 people allowed in the mini bus so it was ok.
Love S&L xxx
Sunday 21 September 2014
Angkor secret garden Inn
Angkor secret garden inn - On arrival we recieved a glass of orange juice and Lucky , carried our bags single handely up to our rooms which were air conditioned with free water and toiletries. We then went down to the restaurant for something to eat as we were sooo tired from the extremely long day we had. The wifi was free and accessible everywhere plus they had a free internet room so i could upload the photos to our external harddrive. The food was gorgeous and sooo cheap. We got two baskets of garlic bread which were gorgeous and pumpkin soup that came with garlic bread too. Which was easily the tastiest thing on the menu. It was gorgeous !! We then had burgers x 3 , chicken nuggets and a pancake each inc drinks and was less than $35 for us all !! Great food at great prices. Lucky came to speak to us and told us all about what we could expect the next day at Angkor wat and was soo informative that we asked him if he could take us instead. He seemed concerned that we had booked with someone else already. so we knew he was genuine. Once we had sorted out who was taking us , we went to breakfast and met him thete. Breakfast was included in our room rate of $44 for two nights for both of us , although Leigh had to pay the same for one person! However it was worth everu penny.
We arrived at breakfast and Lucky told us he was taking us to the temples , even though he had told us it was his day off earlier!! He had water and towels in a cooler for us and talked us through the itinerary. He took us out to a relatively cheap place for lunch and toom us up a mountaon to view the sunset. We ate at the hotel again as it was so cheap but this night the owner had brought us some snake to try and pork with red ant paste. He made us vodka juice cocktails for free too.. He was very friendly also , however Lucky was now enjoying the rest of his day off and had gone out that night so the service for oyr food was really slow, got our order wrong and didnt understand us and no apologies. It was clear that because Lucky wasnt there , they didnt care as much.
Lucky made all the terror of getting to cambodia worthwhile snd really went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. He came with us up the moubtain to watch the sunset and had store all our purchases in the tuk tuk
Lucky got a $60 tip and deserved every penny.
We arrived at breakfast and Lucky told us he was taking us to the temples , even though he had told us it was his day off earlier!! He had water and towels in a cooler for us and talked us through the itinerary. He took us out to a relatively cheap place for lunch and toom us up a mountaon to view the sunset. We ate at the hotel again as it was so cheap but this night the owner had brought us some snake to try and pork with red ant paste. He made us vodka juice cocktails for free too.. He was very friendly also , however Lucky was now enjoying the rest of his day off and had gone out that night so the service for oyr food was really slow, got our order wrong and didnt understand us and no apologies. It was clear that because Lucky wasnt there , they didnt care as much.
Lucky made all the terror of getting to cambodia worthwhile snd really went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. He came with us up the moubtain to watch the sunset and had store all our purchases in the tuk tuk
Lucky got a $60 tip and deserved every penny.
Cambodia...
Well the train was very simple; wooden frame with windows that didnt pull shut and concrete seats covered in a fake leather. We all shared two benches so plenty of room and a overhead rack to store our bags.
However the train was having repairs when we got on , which consistedof one man with a torch and screwdriver knelt under the train !!
Anyway we set off on time but after about half an hour the train stopped at a station and stayed there for at least 30 minutes. We all tried to sleep the 6 hour journey , however the seats became very uncomfortable and more people started to get on and wanting up to move up and it became unbearable!! After about 6 hours into this torment some railway police decided to get on and shouting and prodding people to move about. They had moved everyone from the first carriage to the last and we seemed safe. Then we got asked to move and Luke wasnt very happy and kept asking the police officer why , as we had so many bags to carry and it was impossible to get through all those people witg our bags. Anyway , luckily we had been told not to question the authority as in Thailand this is very disrespectful and can land you in jail !! So i told Luke to zip it and do as the man said, so we all moved to the second carriahe, knocking people out as we went. After all this fuss , we were an hour late , the police officers were annoyed at us and were shouting but had time to take pictures of their accomplishments and send them to their friends. When we did arrive in Aranyaprathet station , there was no point to swap us all around as we all got off at the same time in the same place !!!!!
Anyway, definatley an experience we did not want to repeat !! 2nd worsttrain ride of my life !!
A tuk tuk took us to the border but make sure you know what the real border looks like as they try to take you to a fake !! The tuk tuk should only cost 100 bht. Also make sure you have 20 dollars each and 100 baht for the border otherwise your not getting in , they will want a passport photo too. The 100 baht isnt advertised but you cant get in without it !! Also pull out US dollars before you arrive, otherwise you have to walj quite far to a casino to get your money out and their chatge is$5 below $165 and 5% over.
Allow a few hours for the border as the first part is easy, you then have to queue to get your arrival card stamped and this took forevet , then you myst decide whther you want to bus at $9 each or a taci at $40 for the whole car . The ride is 2 hours by taxi to Siem reap and 3.5 buy bus. By the time you have done 2 hours in the queue , you will want the taxi !! You get a free bus from the border to the train station.
This whole experience was quite expensive and wouldnt do it again would deffo recommended to fly, we lost alot of time and money this way. Plus when we paid for the taxi to take us to the hotel , however they are sneaky abd try to pass you to a tuk tuk and tell you that he will take you the rest of the way but when you get to your hotel they try to charge you and when you say no they adk if they can take you to the Angkor wat temples the next day which is $15 for one tuk tuk so we said yes.
Anyway our hotel was called Angkor secret garden inn and was located down a back street but it was lovely. We were met by a guy called Lucky and he was THEE nicest person we have ever met. www.angkorsecretgardenhotel.com
However the train was having repairs when we got on , which consistedof one man with a torch and screwdriver knelt under the train !!
Anyway we set off on time but after about half an hour the train stopped at a station and stayed there for at least 30 minutes. We all tried to sleep the 6 hour journey , however the seats became very uncomfortable and more people started to get on and wanting up to move up and it became unbearable!! After about 6 hours into this torment some railway police decided to get on and shouting and prodding people to move about. They had moved everyone from the first carriage to the last and we seemed safe. Then we got asked to move and Luke wasnt very happy and kept asking the police officer why , as we had so many bags to carry and it was impossible to get through all those people witg our bags. Anyway , luckily we had been told not to question the authority as in Thailand this is very disrespectful and can land you in jail !! So i told Luke to zip it and do as the man said, so we all moved to the second carriahe, knocking people out as we went. After all this fuss , we were an hour late , the police officers were annoyed at us and were shouting but had time to take pictures of their accomplishments and send them to their friends. When we did arrive in Aranyaprathet station , there was no point to swap us all around as we all got off at the same time in the same place !!!!!
Anyway, definatley an experience we did not want to repeat !! 2nd worsttrain ride of my life !!
A tuk tuk took us to the border but make sure you know what the real border looks like as they try to take you to a fake !! The tuk tuk should only cost 100 bht. Also make sure you have 20 dollars each and 100 baht for the border otherwise your not getting in , they will want a passport photo too. The 100 baht isnt advertised but you cant get in without it !! Also pull out US dollars before you arrive, otherwise you have to walj quite far to a casino to get your money out and their chatge is$5 below $165 and 5% over.
Allow a few hours for the border as the first part is easy, you then have to queue to get your arrival card stamped and this took forevet , then you myst decide whther you want to bus at $9 each or a taci at $40 for the whole car . The ride is 2 hours by taxi to Siem reap and 3.5 buy bus. By the time you have done 2 hours in the queue , you will want the taxi !! You get a free bus from the border to the train station.
This whole experience was quite expensive and wouldnt do it again would deffo recommended to fly, we lost alot of time and money this way. Plus when we paid for the taxi to take us to the hotel , however they are sneaky abd try to pass you to a tuk tuk and tell you that he will take you the rest of the way but when you get to your hotel they try to charge you and when you say no they adk if they can take you to the Angkor wat temples the next day which is $15 for one tuk tuk so we said yes.
Anyway our hotel was called Angkor secret garden inn and was located down a back street but it was lovely. We were met by a guy called Lucky and he was THEE nicest person we have ever met. www.angkorsecretgardenhotel.com
Phuket part 2...
The last link i posted (kitesinphuket) is Clive and Bruce's blog but it wouldn't let me write anymore.
So... we went home after a full day of sightseeing and now rain, we chilled by the pool for a while until Andy came home from work and we all went to Friendship beach to meet Sally and Andy's friends whi have decided to move here. They were really nice people who hope to set up a scuba diving business also. Anyway the restaurant was called Friendship beach resort and was thee most gorgeous food ever. We recommended the garlic bread - wholemeal fried in pure garlic with optional parmesan cheese to sprinkle, the star burger - burger inside this garlic bread , juicy and tender with nice chips. Then i had the brownie pud which was massive with ice cream - scrumdiddlyumptious !! Also if your a resident and have a card you recieve 15% off!! The restaurant is situated around the pool and is right on the beach with great views.
We then returned home and got a taxi the next day to Phuket airport to travel onto Bangkok where we will meet Leigh. The taxi only cost 700 so quite cheap in comparison to what we paid coming down !! Phuket airport is lovely and is situated on the beach , upstairs is a restaurant which is very cheap and good food. It also has free wifi and wonderful views of the planes and beach.
We flew with Nok air which gave us free water and a caramel cookie even though we only paid 20 pounds - ryanair are you listening ?? We then landed at the Bangkok don M and got a metered taxi to meet Leigh at Siem Star hotel right next door to Baiyoke tower that we had all agreed to go up together. At one of the tallest buildings in Bangkok , it a must see. Our hotel was next door and was good value for money. It was quiet and clean but the bathroom had no real window so could let mozis in .
Baiyoke tower is 400 baht to go in but includes a free drink on the 83rd floor and if you pick a cocktail then its great value for money as these are quite strong !!
The tower is great fun and has lots of info and picture opportunities. It has a lot of areas with examples of typically Thai cultures. You can go right to the top to access the revolving outdoor floor where you can get some great photos. You can stay up here as long as you like. We did this for a few hours then went to find some dinner.
We only went to a back street diner for dinner, we had to walk through night market with people selling jellyfish and fried bugs etc. The curries we had here were soooo spicy that we couldn't eat some of it and when we asked for some coconut milk to cool it down , they didn't know what we were talking about and therefore we just had to leave it. Ordered the papaya salad i had had on the beachfront a few days before but this one was sooo spicy that it burnt me. Luckily a Chinese man overheard and told me to get some warm water and it cooled my mouth down instantly , it really did work !!!
We then had street pancakes which were lovely and went back to our room , we had an early night as we had to be up early for our train to Cambodia.
We were up at half four to get a taxi to the train station , this took around 30-40 minutes and was 100 baht. The train station was simple and easy to understand, there is a huge main screen which tells you which train to get to where and what platform . We then got our tickets at the counter and it only cost 48 bht each to get to Cambodia !! There were plenty of seats to sit and wait for our train in the main area.
.....
So... we went home after a full day of sightseeing and now rain, we chilled by the pool for a while until Andy came home from work and we all went to Friendship beach to meet Sally and Andy's friends whi have decided to move here. They were really nice people who hope to set up a scuba diving business also. Anyway the restaurant was called Friendship beach resort and was thee most gorgeous food ever. We recommended the garlic bread - wholemeal fried in pure garlic with optional parmesan cheese to sprinkle, the star burger - burger inside this garlic bread , juicy and tender with nice chips. Then i had the brownie pud which was massive with ice cream - scrumdiddlyumptious !! Also if your a resident and have a card you recieve 15% off!! The restaurant is situated around the pool and is right on the beach with great views.
We then returned home and got a taxi the next day to Phuket airport to travel onto Bangkok where we will meet Leigh. The taxi only cost 700 so quite cheap in comparison to what we paid coming down !! Phuket airport is lovely and is situated on the beach , upstairs is a restaurant which is very cheap and good food. It also has free wifi and wonderful views of the planes and beach.
We flew with Nok air which gave us free water and a caramel cookie even though we only paid 20 pounds - ryanair are you listening ?? We then landed at the Bangkok don M and got a metered taxi to meet Leigh at Siem Star hotel right next door to Baiyoke tower that we had all agreed to go up together. At one of the tallest buildings in Bangkok , it a must see. Our hotel was next door and was good value for money. It was quiet and clean but the bathroom had no real window so could let mozis in .
Baiyoke tower is 400 baht to go in but includes a free drink on the 83rd floor and if you pick a cocktail then its great value for money as these are quite strong !!
The tower is great fun and has lots of info and picture opportunities. It has a lot of areas with examples of typically Thai cultures. You can go right to the top to access the revolving outdoor floor where you can get some great photos. You can stay up here as long as you like. We did this for a few hours then went to find some dinner.
We only went to a back street diner for dinner, we had to walk through night market with people selling jellyfish and fried bugs etc. The curries we had here were soooo spicy that we couldn't eat some of it and when we asked for some coconut milk to cool it down , they didn't know what we were talking about and therefore we just had to leave it. Ordered the papaya salad i had had on the beachfront a few days before but this one was sooo spicy that it burnt me. Luckily a Chinese man overheard and told me to get some warm water and it cooled my mouth down instantly , it really did work !!!
We then had street pancakes which were lovely and went back to our room , we had an early night as we had to be up early for our train to Cambodia.
We were up at half four to get a taxi to the train station , this took around 30-40 minutes and was 100 baht. The train station was simple and easy to understand, there is a huge main screen which tells you which train to get to where and what platform . We then got our tickets at the counter and it only cost 48 bht each to get to Cambodia !! There were plenty of seats to sit and wait for our train in the main area.
.....
Thursday 18 September 2014
Phuket...
So we got our flight to Phuket and as soon as you walk out there is a taxi rank with a sign that tells you how much your taxi will be. It said 1000 baht to Rawai , Sally (a family friend in which we are staying with) told us it would only be 800 bht. We found out later we should have asked asked for one with a meter and it would have been only 800.
So we got the bus which at 1230 , were told it would set off at 1.30 and was 140 bht and took us to Patong beach, we thought a taxi would be cheap from here as its 40 minutes to Rawai. The bus didn't set off until 215 then after 5 mins we had to all squish onto a minivan and then it took 3.5 hrs to get to patong then a taxi ended up costing us 500 bht so no cheaper really and ate up half our day. We have learnt that the Thai are not rigid with their timings, at all!! Your food will come out when its ready and not all at the same time. They seem to apply this to life too !!
Sally met us near hers in Rawai and we both jumped in the side cart of her motorcycle. It was five minutes to hers and we loved the ride. We then got to meet her gorgeous babies (dogs) Sambo, Toffee and Goldie. They were all so lovely and friendly, Goldie a little shy at first but became our friend soon enough. We were shown around their lovely home then had a chang with sally on their patio and waited for Andy to come home from diving. He is the best scuba diving instructor and does photos and videos for you and is very good !! Andy's scuba website Check him out, hes rated highly on trip advisor !!
That night we had veggie burgers and homemade wedges and they were lovely , just like real burgers , soo scrummy , so i am considering changing to quorn when we get home.
The next morning was Andys day off so we all just relaxed by the pool and enjoyed each others company, it was nice. We had Thai curry for lunch from the shop nearby. It was sooo good and only cost 220 for us both. It was a corner shack and was called king burger or something but was delicious !!! Then Luke and Andy were off to play football so Sally and I tagged along. On the way we met one of Andys scuba friends named Brem and his girlfriend and the O2 bar on the beach , which is a hotel bar , lovely setting with a great view and not too expensive for drinks. It's right by the pier to get any diving boats. However whilst we were there , a monsoon came but it was great to see as we were under shelter. www.o2beachclub.com click to see their website.
Then we may our way to football , where Andy arranges a game every week and quite a few people show. Luke had a great time and said the pitch was lovely. It was 150 baht per person and worth every penny. Sally and I drank cava and gossiped and got merry. A great night all round.
The next morning , Sally took us to the Big Bhudda . It was free but we were given sarongs to cover out shoulders and knees. It was great to go to and offered some great viewpoints. You could buy pieces of marble to write on and stick on the Bhudda which supposedly brings you good luck. We stopped for a fresh young coconut water on the way down and we had a great view behind us. The drinks came to 170 bht which was good , then we made our way to a viewpoint which overlooked monk island. It was beautiful , here i bought a lovely day dress too for around 4 pounds which we bartered for - well sally did !!
We then met up with Sallys friends for lunch at Naat bar on the seafront. Here we had pad Thai and spring rolls for 85 bht , Clive let me try some of his papaya salad which was gorgeous. All the food was great and Clive and his husband Bruce were lovely. Bruce has experience in the design of prisons mainly in Canada but has researched around the world first hand and was really interesting to listen to. I just wish we had met whilst i was writing my dissertation. We all chatted and had drinks on the seafront before we all made our way home. www.kitesfromphuket.blogspot.com
So we got the bus which at 1230 , were told it would set off at 1.30 and was 140 bht and took us to Patong beach, we thought a taxi would be cheap from here as its 40 minutes to Rawai. The bus didn't set off until 215 then after 5 mins we had to all squish onto a minivan and then it took 3.5 hrs to get to patong then a taxi ended up costing us 500 bht so no cheaper really and ate up half our day. We have learnt that the Thai are not rigid with their timings, at all!! Your food will come out when its ready and not all at the same time. They seem to apply this to life too !!
Sally met us near hers in Rawai and we both jumped in the side cart of her motorcycle. It was five minutes to hers and we loved the ride. We then got to meet her gorgeous babies (dogs) Sambo, Toffee and Goldie. They were all so lovely and friendly, Goldie a little shy at first but became our friend soon enough. We were shown around their lovely home then had a chang with sally on their patio and waited for Andy to come home from diving. He is the best scuba diving instructor and does photos and videos for you and is very good !! Andy's scuba website Check him out, hes rated highly on trip advisor !!
That night we had veggie burgers and homemade wedges and they were lovely , just like real burgers , soo scrummy , so i am considering changing to quorn when we get home.
The next morning was Andys day off so we all just relaxed by the pool and enjoyed each others company, it was nice. We had Thai curry for lunch from the shop nearby. It was sooo good and only cost 220 for us both. It was a corner shack and was called king burger or something but was delicious !!! Then Luke and Andy were off to play football so Sally and I tagged along. On the way we met one of Andys scuba friends named Brem and his girlfriend and the O2 bar on the beach , which is a hotel bar , lovely setting with a great view and not too expensive for drinks. It's right by the pier to get any diving boats. However whilst we were there , a monsoon came but it was great to see as we were under shelter. www.o2beachclub.com click to see their website.
Then we may our way to football , where Andy arranges a game every week and quite a few people show. Luke had a great time and said the pitch was lovely. It was 150 baht per person and worth every penny. Sally and I drank cava and gossiped and got merry. A great night all round.
The next morning , Sally took us to the Big Bhudda . It was free but we were given sarongs to cover out shoulders and knees. It was great to go to and offered some great viewpoints. You could buy pieces of marble to write on and stick on the Bhudda which supposedly brings you good luck. We stopped for a fresh young coconut water on the way down and we had a great view behind us. The drinks came to 170 bht which was good , then we made our way to a viewpoint which overlooked monk island. It was beautiful , here i bought a lovely day dress too for around 4 pounds which we bartered for - well sally did !!
We then met up with Sallys friends for lunch at Naat bar on the seafront. Here we had pad Thai and spring rolls for 85 bht , Clive let me try some of his papaya salad which was gorgeous. All the food was great and Clive and his husband Bruce were lovely. Bruce has experience in the design of prisons mainly in Canada but has researched around the world first hand and was really interesting to listen to. I just wish we had met whilst i was writing my dissertation. We all chatted and had drinks on the seafront before we all made our way home. www.kitesfromphuket.blogspot.com
Wednesday 17 September 2014
Bangkok...
So we had a great flight with some great food which was Thai red fish curry or green chicken , scrummy !! We watched some great films too ; Blended with Adam Sandler ( very funny ) , Saving mr banks (really great film) and a thriller with a guy who could memory travel ( if i remember the name i,ll post back but it was really good too !! )
At Dubai airport we used our last dhms to get mcdonalds then changed the rest to Thai baht and got the equivalent to ten pounds at a good rate too. So defiantly worth doing.
When we landed we got a taxi to our hotel - Grand Mandarin Residence , which i wouldn't stay again , it was clean and ok for the price but since staying at nicer for the same price, it was really noisy with people coming in and out and you could always hear the lift. However we walked ten minutes up the road and got a steak with veg for 85 bht and it was lovely setting with waterfall and live music.
In the morning we were told to get a taxi 3 hours early to the airport as the traffic is really bad , but we got there after an hour and it was only 300 dhms. We had krispy kreme doughnuts for 35 bht each at don muang airport and when we got through we had mcdonalds breakfast with free refills which we had never seen before. The flight to Phuket was with Airasia and we had paid an extra pound to get pancakes and syrup which was well worth it, you got four with butter and syrup - hot and very tasty.
GOTTA GO , S&L xx
At Dubai airport we used our last dhms to get mcdonalds then changed the rest to Thai baht and got the equivalent to ten pounds at a good rate too. So defiantly worth doing.
When we landed we got a taxi to our hotel - Grand Mandarin Residence , which i wouldn't stay again , it was clean and ok for the price but since staying at nicer for the same price, it was really noisy with people coming in and out and you could always hear the lift. However we walked ten minutes up the road and got a steak with veg for 85 bht and it was lovely setting with waterfall and live music.
In the morning we were told to get a taxi 3 hours early to the airport as the traffic is really bad , but we got there after an hour and it was only 300 dhms. We had krispy kreme doughnuts for 35 bht each at don muang airport and when we got through we had mcdonalds breakfast with free refills which we had never seen before. The flight to Phuket was with Airasia and we had paid an extra pound to get pancakes and syrup which was well worth it, you got four with butter and syrup - hot and very tasty.
GOTTA GO , S&L xx
Atlantis waterpark....
So we got up early to get the metro to Dubai internet city. I don't need to tell you how good the metro is again , but everytime we needed to top up we would just go to the information desk and they do it straight away and tell you if you need a new card if your doing more than one zone.
We got to Dubai internet city and from there we paid 20 dhms in a taxi to get the palm monorail. We had a Dubai entertainer voucher so it was buy one get one free. So it worked out at 30 dhms return for both of us. The monorail is fantastic, so quick and direct but you get some great photos of Atlantis too. It drops you off at Atlantis' entrance and if you walk through straight to the middle with the bigfish dome on the ceiling then turn left , you'll find the area to purchase your tickets and enter the park. The tickets are 300dhms each and lockers & towel combo , 50 dhms , these were on the entertainer vouchers too.
The lockers were straight on the left and easy to use. You can't bring your own food & drink and they do check your bags so bring lots of cash as it was 70 dhms each for burger , chips and a drink !!
It's worth bearing in mind that there are waterproof go pros to rent and they allow you on rides with your camera phone in a waterproof bag. Alot of the rides use rubber rings which you can get from any of the pools. The 'temple' at the far side with rides, doesn't use rings so you will be told to discard them once you hit the beach. Most the rides can be linked with each other using the lazy river which is a plus. We wore waterproof diving shoes which they allowed on all the rides.
This was a great day out and we went on a Monday and it was practically empty. We stayed here until closing and went on every ride and throughly enjoyed it. We had some piz buin bracelets that hold suncream which were reallt useful when your suncream is starting to wash off you can reapply without going back to your locker. Plus it was only a pound from poundland, bargain !!
We got the monorail back around half six , they come every twenty mins and at half six the sun set and the buildings have lights on and we got some great pictures.
From the monorail we walked along the seafrony to gst some great photos, we did walk a while towards the buildings , so far that we ended up walking to the Nakheel metro station so we managed to save some money and had our scrummy pizzas from Spinneys for 10dhms and they are so lovely !!
Early morning start for our flight which we will get the metro for as its so much cheaper.
Love and hugs from S&L xx
We got to Dubai internet city and from there we paid 20 dhms in a taxi to get the palm monorail. We had a Dubai entertainer voucher so it was buy one get one free. So it worked out at 30 dhms return for both of us. The monorail is fantastic, so quick and direct but you get some great photos of Atlantis too. It drops you off at Atlantis' entrance and if you walk through straight to the middle with the bigfish dome on the ceiling then turn left , you'll find the area to purchase your tickets and enter the park. The tickets are 300dhms each and lockers & towel combo , 50 dhms , these were on the entertainer vouchers too.
The lockers were straight on the left and easy to use. You can't bring your own food & drink and they do check your bags so bring lots of cash as it was 70 dhms each for burger , chips and a drink !!
It's worth bearing in mind that there are waterproof go pros to rent and they allow you on rides with your camera phone in a waterproof bag. Alot of the rides use rubber rings which you can get from any of the pools. The 'temple' at the far side with rides, doesn't use rings so you will be told to discard them once you hit the beach. Most the rides can be linked with each other using the lazy river which is a plus. We wore waterproof diving shoes which they allowed on all the rides.
This was a great day out and we went on a Monday and it was practically empty. We stayed here until closing and went on every ride and throughly enjoyed it. We had some piz buin bracelets that hold suncream which were reallt useful when your suncream is starting to wash off you can reapply without going back to your locker. Plus it was only a pound from poundland, bargain !!
We got the monorail back around half six , they come every twenty mins and at half six the sun set and the buildings have lights on and we got some great pictures.
From the monorail we walked along the seafrony to gst some great photos, we did walk a while towards the buildings , so far that we ended up walking to the Nakheel metro station so we managed to save some money and had our scrummy pizzas from Spinneys for 10dhms and they are so lovely !!
Early morning start for our flight which we will get the metro for as its so much cheaper.
Love and hugs from S&L xx
Sunday 14 September 2014
Arabian nights Dubai safari
So another day of chilling around the pool whilst our room gets cleaned and pots get washed etc !!!
We had to ring Arabian nights , the night before, to confirm our attendance and give them our room number. We asked the reception to do it and they were more than happy to oblige. Arabian nights told us to wait in our hotel lobby for 4pm with our Dubai entertainer voucher and 300dhms. We were picked up around half 4pm and were introduced to the others in the car. One was from Boston USA and the other was from Brazil. They were both very nice people and have exchanged contact details. I gave them our business cards and hope to keep in touch.
Anyway , the Dubai safari was easily THE best activity we have ever done. It took around an hour and twenty to get to the dunes but on the way they stop at a street shop so you can go to the toilet as your next chance will be at the camp after dune bashing.
This shop will try to get you to buy everything in there but to be fair a sandstorm had started so we did all buy head scarves to keep the sand from our mouths and face. Don't pay anymore than 20dhms and tell them you want your change before you give them the money. A guy on our trip kept getting short changed and they denied all knowledge.
Anyway the sandstorm finished about five minutes later and we set off to the dune bashing. This was amazing and you do get a good 20 mins of being thrown around over really high dunes whilst the sand kicks out from the car. The guide pointed out points of interest along the way and stopped so you could take pictures. Then he stopped for us to get out to take pictures of the sunset. We had a good ten minutes to do this but make sure you wear closed shoes as the sand is very hot !!
Then you drive to the Sharjah border and drive along side for more dune bashing and arrive at the camp. The camp was great as it was only open to people doing the Arabian nights tour, so it wasn't heaving. A man speaks on the tannoy to tell you all the info you need. There is unlimited free soft drinks , Bbq - which consists of starters, main and two desserts. The henna tattoo is great for women and men. The men can get a scorpian. I had a flower on my leg but make sure yiy get this first as it needs to dry and a lot of people smudged theirs. I got mine done after the camels and sand boarding.
The camel ride only lasts two minutes and you just go around in a circle and the sandboarding was literally some sandboards on top of a sand dune that you judt had to throw yourself off and hope for ths best !!
The entertainment was fab and the free sheeshas were good too. The night ended around 9pm and we did a bit of dune bashing on the way back and then were offered to be dropped off at Dubai mall but we were all so tired , we got dropped off at our hotels. We said bye to our new friends and went straight to bed , ready to be up nice and early for Atlantis waterpark.
Love S&L xxx
We had to ring Arabian nights , the night before, to confirm our attendance and give them our room number. We asked the reception to do it and they were more than happy to oblige. Arabian nights told us to wait in our hotel lobby for 4pm with our Dubai entertainer voucher and 300dhms. We were picked up around half 4pm and were introduced to the others in the car. One was from Boston USA and the other was from Brazil. They were both very nice people and have exchanged contact details. I gave them our business cards and hope to keep in touch.
Anyway , the Dubai safari was easily THE best activity we have ever done. It took around an hour and twenty to get to the dunes but on the way they stop at a street shop so you can go to the toilet as your next chance will be at the camp after dune bashing.
This shop will try to get you to buy everything in there but to be fair a sandstorm had started so we did all buy head scarves to keep the sand from our mouths and face. Don't pay anymore than 20dhms and tell them you want your change before you give them the money. A guy on our trip kept getting short changed and they denied all knowledge.
Anyway the sandstorm finished about five minutes later and we set off to the dune bashing. This was amazing and you do get a good 20 mins of being thrown around over really high dunes whilst the sand kicks out from the car. The guide pointed out points of interest along the way and stopped so you could take pictures. Then he stopped for us to get out to take pictures of the sunset. We had a good ten minutes to do this but make sure you wear closed shoes as the sand is very hot !!
Then you drive to the Sharjah border and drive along side for more dune bashing and arrive at the camp. The camp was great as it was only open to people doing the Arabian nights tour, so it wasn't heaving. A man speaks on the tannoy to tell you all the info you need. There is unlimited free soft drinks , Bbq - which consists of starters, main and two desserts. The henna tattoo is great for women and men. The men can get a scorpian. I had a flower on my leg but make sure yiy get this first as it needs to dry and a lot of people smudged theirs. I got mine done after the camels and sand boarding.
The camel ride only lasts two minutes and you just go around in a circle and the sandboarding was literally some sandboards on top of a sand dune that you judt had to throw yourself off and hope for ths best !!
The entertainment was fab and the free sheeshas were good too. The night ended around 9pm and we did a bit of dune bashing on the way back and then were offered to be dropped off at Dubai mall but we were all so tired , we got dropped off at our hotels. We said bye to our new friends and went straight to bed , ready to be up nice and early for Atlantis waterpark.
Love S&L xxx
Thursday 11 September 2014
Dubai Marina...
Another day by the pool, but at 2pm we went to leave to get the metro to the Dubai mall.
We were going to do the bus tour that is owned by the 'at the top' and kiosk is downstairs at the end nearest the Burj Khalifa. It is only 10 dhms a person and is valid 12 hours. However, after shopping in the mall for a while and grabbing a shawarma for dinner, we decided we wanted to go to Dubai marina instead. So we walked across the bridge from the mall , its a ten minute walk but all air con and has great views of the burj. We then got the metro to Dubai marina station and it was a short walk around the corner. We got there for around 6pm so we got photos in the day, sunset and evening. It was alot cooler down there and plenty to see and do. Last year i went here for a night out on a tuesday which is ladies night so ladies drink free in most of the hotels. Plus the Dubai entertainer has buffer vouchers for these hotels. However we were full and wanted a drink and had a voucher for Tim Hortons. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants around to suit anyones budget. Its a brill thing to do , you get some great pics and wonderful views and food. We then went back to the hotel for an early night for our full day of Dubai safari.
Love S&L xxx
We were going to do the bus tour that is owned by the 'at the top' and kiosk is downstairs at the end nearest the Burj Khalifa. It is only 10 dhms a person and is valid 12 hours. However, after shopping in the mall for a while and grabbing a shawarma for dinner, we decided we wanted to go to Dubai marina instead. So we walked across the bridge from the mall , its a ten minute walk but all air con and has great views of the burj. We then got the metro to Dubai marina station and it was a short walk around the corner. We got there for around 6pm so we got photos in the day, sunset and evening. It was alot cooler down there and plenty to see and do. Last year i went here for a night out on a tuesday which is ladies night so ladies drink free in most of the hotels. Plus the Dubai entertainer has buffer vouchers for these hotels. However we were full and wanted a drink and had a voucher for Tim Hortons. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants around to suit anyones budget. Its a brill thing to do , you get some great pics and wonderful views and food. We then went back to the hotel for an early night for our full day of Dubai safari.
Love S&L xxx
Sunday 7 September 2014
Dubai aquarium ...
So today we got up really early as we planned to go to aquaventure , however when we got to the Al Fahidi station , it was closed until 1.16pm as over here , Fri & Sat is their weekend. This was really annoying as we had geared ourselves up and were all packed to go to the waterpark. Anyway, we decided we would have to do aquaventure on Monday as it would probably be quieter and it meant we could have an early night ready for our flight on Tuesday early morning.So really this had worked out for the best !!
So we went to the pool and decided we would do the Dubai aquarium in the evening. We had the Dubai entertainer voucher so it worked out at £12 for both of us. And we really got our moneys worth !! We started with getting the metro from Al Fahidi to Burjuman and changing to Dubai mall , this only cost us 9dhms together !!
Dubai mall is really easy to work your way around and has interactive maps everywhere. Once we found the aquarium , we were told we could spend as long as we wanted looking around. So all in all we spent nearly three hours , we did buy the combo ticket which meant we had access to the desert animals too!!
This activity is great and a must do , even if your paying full price it is worth it !! You can pay extra to do the glass bottom boat , feed the fish or shark dives but we just did the combo entrance and still had the best time. Yes you can see the tank without paying but you can't get up close like you can when you pay. Also once you have walked around the outside you can enter the tunnel to see the fish from underneath or have your photo next to a shark !! We must have spent easily three hours here. They had just recently acquired a croc from Aus who was found wandering around in a public lake. He then doesnt get many options as his memory will allow him to return to this lake no matter how far away he is !! He was built a special tank and although pretty small for his size - 5m , he has a girlfriend and seemed happy. This add on to the aquarium is on the upper floor , hed by two escalators on your right once you exit the aquarium. When purchasing your tix , ask for the combo tix which is the aquarium and zoo. The animals in here are very interesting too and very well set out , the fish tanks were open topped. Plenty for children to do. There were a range of animals from turtles , crocs, jellyfish, (i got to stroke a starfish) , penguins , gerbils, lizards and owls. Informative signs and videos on flatscreen HD tvs made the whole experience. We left feeling very satisfied and tired out as we had spent our whole evening there but would do it all over again !!
We did then use our vouchers to get something from the food court , wethought we would use Charleys subs as they looked really good and they were once we had recieved them 45 mins after ordering and they still got it completly wrong. One was cold as it had waited so long for the rest to be made , it seemed like everyone had the same issue , so please don't waste your time or money here. It was not worth it !!!
Then it was 11pm by the time we had finished so we came straight home :)
Lots of love , S&L xxx
So we went to the pool and decided we would do the Dubai aquarium in the evening. We had the Dubai entertainer voucher so it worked out at £12 for both of us. And we really got our moneys worth !! We started with getting the metro from Al Fahidi to Burjuman and changing to Dubai mall , this only cost us 9dhms together !!
Dubai mall is really easy to work your way around and has interactive maps everywhere. Once we found the aquarium , we were told we could spend as long as we wanted looking around. So all in all we spent nearly three hours , we did buy the combo ticket which meant we had access to the desert animals too!!
This activity is great and a must do , even if your paying full price it is worth it !! You can pay extra to do the glass bottom boat , feed the fish or shark dives but we just did the combo entrance and still had the best time. Yes you can see the tank without paying but you can't get up close like you can when you pay. Also once you have walked around the outside you can enter the tunnel to see the fish from underneath or have your photo next to a shark !! We must have spent easily three hours here. They had just recently acquired a croc from Aus who was found wandering around in a public lake. He then doesnt get many options as his memory will allow him to return to this lake no matter how far away he is !! He was built a special tank and although pretty small for his size - 5m , he has a girlfriend and seemed happy. This add on to the aquarium is on the upper floor , hed by two escalators on your right once you exit the aquarium. When purchasing your tix , ask for the combo tix which is the aquarium and zoo. The animals in here are very interesting too and very well set out , the fish tanks were open topped. Plenty for children to do. There were a range of animals from turtles , crocs, jellyfish, (i got to stroke a starfish) , penguins , gerbils, lizards and owls. Informative signs and videos on flatscreen HD tvs made the whole experience. We left feeling very satisfied and tired out as we had spent our whole evening there but would do it all over again !!
We did then use our vouchers to get something from the food court , wethought we would use Charleys subs as they looked really good and they were once we had recieved them 45 mins after ordering and they still got it completly wrong. One was cold as it had waited so long for the rest to be made , it seemed like everyone had the same issue , so please don't waste your time or money here. It was not worth it !!!
Then it was 11pm by the time we had finished so we came straight home :)
Lots of love , S&L xxx
Saturday 6 September 2014
Atlantis ...
So we decided if we were to go to the waterpark we had better work out how to get there beforehand as we would have to set off early morning. So as per , we spent the morning up at the pool then got ready to go outabout 5pm as it's slightly cooler then. (marginally)
Once we had set off we got the metro from al fahidi to burjuman (burjuman is one of the interchange stations) then burjuman to Dubai internet city. This cost 9dhms return , which was really reasonable. Then when we got off , it was too far to walk to the palm to get the monorail , so there was plenty of taxis. We jumped in one and he told us that the traffic at that time of night was so heavy that he would only take us straight to atlantis, in matter of fact he was right !!! The taxi only cost 25 dhms.
We had a walk around and took many photos which was lovely with the sunset !!! We took a walk inside Atlantis then decided it was time to go back. We only had a return entertainer voucher for the monorail and the man at the monorail station said returns had to be bought for the same day. So we asked how much a single was and he said 15 dhms each , so we decided it was best to get the taxi back and at least that will take us to the metro station too and we could do the return monorail when we go to aquaventure.
We then got the metro to the mall of the emirates and had a shawarma (meat and salad rolled into a wrap and grilled) - gorgeous !! We then had entertainer vouchers for krispy kreme and baskin robbins , we got 40 donuts for 36 dhms and two ice cream , brownie and hot fudge drinks for 20 dhms. Bargain !! Apart from this , we didn't do a great deal in the mall as it is just shops and not a patch on the Dubai mall.
We then came home and had throughly enjoyed our day !!
Love S&L xxxx
Once we had set off we got the metro from al fahidi to burjuman (burjuman is one of the interchange stations) then burjuman to Dubai internet city. This cost 9dhms return , which was really reasonable. Then when we got off , it was too far to walk to the palm to get the monorail , so there was plenty of taxis. We jumped in one and he told us that the traffic at that time of night was so heavy that he would only take us straight to atlantis, in matter of fact he was right !!! The taxi only cost 25 dhms.
We had a walk around and took many photos which was lovely with the sunset !!! We took a walk inside Atlantis then decided it was time to go back. We only had a return entertainer voucher for the monorail and the man at the monorail station said returns had to be bought for the same day. So we asked how much a single was and he said 15 dhms each , so we decided it was best to get the taxi back and at least that will take us to the metro station too and we could do the return monorail when we go to aquaventure.
We then got the metro to the mall of the emirates and had a shawarma (meat and salad rolled into a wrap and grilled) - gorgeous !! We then had entertainer vouchers for krispy kreme and baskin robbins , we got 40 donuts for 36 dhms and two ice cream , brownie and hot fudge drinks for 20 dhms. Bargain !! Apart from this , we didn't do a great deal in the mall as it is just shops and not a patch on the Dubai mall.
We then came home and had throughly enjoyed our day !!
Love S&L xxxx
Thursday 4 September 2014
Dubai heritage ...
Another morning of sitting by the pool with Leigh and lunch back in the room. After our lunch Luke and I returned back to the pool as we wanted to do the Dubai creek but we didn't want to do it when it was so hot.Our hotel is situated near the creek so we google mapped it and saw that it was after the al fahidi metro so we couldn't get the metro to it so we decided to walk. It was only a twenty minute walk but we were drenched with sweat by the time we got there.
However it was a straight walk down past the metro which is a straight road anyway. Walk straight over the roundabout and your at the Dubai heritage village. This is a great place with traditional buildings that all house different historic information or shops or restaurants. Some you can walk in and go up to the top floor and get a great view of the village and creek.
We then walked down the road to the left of the roubdabout as you arrive, Go past the shops and follow the road round and you'll see the Dubai museum. We didn't go in as the sun was setting and we wanted to get accross the creek before sundown . However i have been in before and it's a must see. It's very cleverly done and very interesting tosee Dubai how it was compared to now. It's cheap too so you deffo get value for money.
After the museum is the courts , if you follow the road around , you'll see the tourist souk , walk through here , sellers will try their hardest to get you to go in their shops but hold your head high and carry on straight through and you'll see the creek and you'll see the Abra's (boats -small wooden ones) these are 1dhm each and will take you accross the creek.
Once accross walk left down the road until you come to a bend and you'll see another souk , this is the spice souk . It's well worth a walk down. If you return back to this bend then walk away fron tge creek into the heart of this area, you will see the gold souk, this place is amazing and holds the guiness world record biggest gold ring!! When your ready to return accross the creek , go back to your original abra drop off placeas the ones on the corner are round trip ones.
We then walked back to the village and the first restaurant is called local house restaurant it's set in a traditional Dubai building and has traditional seating and fabric but the best bit is , they do camel burgers. Now we had never had one but my grandad said they were supern so we had the one with caramelised onions and spicy mushrooms. , they come with potato wedges which are lovely . They are 45 dhms each buteow, well worth the money, my mouth is watering just still thinking about them. They were chewy but tasted like a steak burger and best bit us , they are healthy. We also had traditional mutabrak (meat cooked in bread) for starter and was really impressed. Our bill cane to 149 dhms for everything inc two cokes and it was worth every penny , woukd return every night if we could !!
Having a great time , missing you all
Love S&L xxx
However it was a straight walk down past the metro which is a straight road anyway. Walk straight over the roundabout and your at the Dubai heritage village. This is a great place with traditional buildings that all house different historic information or shops or restaurants. Some you can walk in and go up to the top floor and get a great view of the village and creek.
We then walked down the road to the left of the roubdabout as you arrive, Go past the shops and follow the road round and you'll see the Dubai museum. We didn't go in as the sun was setting and we wanted to get accross the creek before sundown . However i have been in before and it's a must see. It's very cleverly done and very interesting tosee Dubai how it was compared to now. It's cheap too so you deffo get value for money.
After the museum is the courts , if you follow the road around , you'll see the tourist souk , walk through here , sellers will try their hardest to get you to go in their shops but hold your head high and carry on straight through and you'll see the creek and you'll see the Abra's (boats -small wooden ones) these are 1dhm each and will take you accross the creek.
Once accross walk left down the road until you come to a bend and you'll see another souk , this is the spice souk . It's well worth a walk down. If you return back to this bend then walk away fron tge creek into the heart of this area, you will see the gold souk, this place is amazing and holds the guiness world record biggest gold ring!! When your ready to return accross the creek , go back to your original abra drop off placeas the ones on the corner are round trip ones.
We then walked back to the village and the first restaurant is called local house restaurant it's set in a traditional Dubai building and has traditional seating and fabric but the best bit is , they do camel burgers. Now we had never had one but my grandad said they were supern so we had the one with caramelised onions and spicy mushrooms. , they come with potato wedges which are lovely . They are 45 dhms each buteow, well worth the money, my mouth is watering just still thinking about them. They were chewy but tasted like a steak burger and best bit us , they are healthy. We also had traditional mutabrak (meat cooked in bread) for starter and was really impressed. Our bill cane to 149 dhms for everything inc two cokes and it was worth every penny , woukd return every night if we could !!
Having a great time , missing you all
Love S&L xxx
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