We are back!

Sorry for the late posting - we have been back a week already!

Bangkok was our last destination - we arrived in the early hours of the morning so our first day there was limited to sitting round the pool or a gentle stroll around the locals streets - not that successful as it was Sunday and most of the small shops were closed - we were just hassled by tuk tuk drivers wanting to take us everywhere!

Monday was as previously mentioned, the Grand Palace and Jade Buddha tour. http://www.thaistudents.com/guidebook/palace2.html is a good link to some photos of the Grand Palace which has to be seen to take in the detail and splendour! We both enjoyed this tour and it gave us a chance to seem some of Bangkok on the journey there and back. There are thousands of Palaces in Bangkok - this particular one was until fairly recently, the home of the King of Thailand.

Monday night was our Loy Nava Dinner Cruise. We boarded a Rice Barge at the quay right next to the hotel (lucky really as we booked this on the Internet months ago and didn't know it started right next to the hotel we were booked in) and were greeted with a rose water sprinkling ceremony and then shown to our table - right at the front looking out over the river!. There were already appetisers on our table which we tucked into while waiting for our drinks to arrive. Over the next 2+ hours, we slowly cruise up the River and back down again as food was brought to our table. We had a traditional Thai selection and a Seafood Selection - neither of us ate that much - Jill didn't like most of it, and my appetite wasn't what it had been. Overall quite enjoyable, albeit a bit TOO long.

Tuesday was our last day in Bangkok - our flight wasn't until 23.55 the same day so it made sense to do another excursion - The elephants!

We were driven over an hour to what was essentially a small zoo outside Bangkok. There was an elephant Show which had elephants playing football, re-enacting battle scenes and generally doing circussy type things - it was really good - I particularly liked the battle scenes.

After the elephant show was the crocodile wrestling - we didn't like this at all. The handlers were poking and prodding the crocodiles and it all generally seemed quite cruel - so we walked out of that one. The whole zoo was very down market and none of the animals looked very happy in their small cages - we were glad to leave on that day.

After our troubles with the weight of our hand luggage when we flew from Sydney to Bangkok, we tried to avoid this in Bangkok by posting a few Kg's of stuff home and also by throwing out Shampoos, Sun Tan Lotions and other heavy things we'd no longer need - be as luck would have it, they didn't weigh it anyway and we had no trouble at the airport!

Our flight left on time and we had a 12hr+ journey home and was met by our good friend John Richardson at just before 6am on the Wednesday morning (7 hour time difference). We tried to stay up as long as we could but ended up in bed by 7pm and jet lag HAS proved to be a problem which it wasn't on the way out.

So that's it. Holiday over and just loads of happy memories left. It just leaves me to thanks our friends who took us to the airport, looked after the dogs, cats, plants and house while we were away and met us at the airport when we returned again! We couldn't have done ANY of it without you guys!

And lastly the family - We can't thank Lal enough for the welcome and 'home from home' she gave us. Words can't describe just how welcomed and comfortable we were made to feel at her house. Mum No 2 - Auntie Val - well no words can say what I'd like to say but you KNOW! Cissie and all my cousins - Rhi, Gwen, Mark and Gareth - it was just BRILLIANT and nowhere near long enough! Darryl and Pauline - well I've never been hugged quite so much!

You all seem to have landed yourselves with great 'other halves' and between you some wonderful children! Steve - I have to pick you out cos we did seem to hit it off particularly!

Jill wouldn't forgive me if I didn't mention Bobby, Dudley and all the other dogs (sorry Java) so they are also imprinted in our memories.

So holiday over. I'm trying to sort out the photos into some sort of order before I upload them. The video footage I took will take a LOT longer. Thanks again to everyone and with this world shrinking as it is, I have no doubts whatsoever that we'll be meeting up again VERY soon!

Bye (for now)

Ade and Jill

Bangkok-up

Hi all.

What a brilliant time time we had in New Zealand! We were treated like royalty and meeting all the family was a weird experience - it was like slotting in to a big jigsaw - hard to explain, but if you go - and you MUST - you will no doubt see what I mean! New Zealand is a beautiful country (especially South Island) and having family there is just the cream on the cake!

After our disappointment with the helicopter ride over the glaciers (well lack of it) we had more to come when our Whale Watching trip was cancelled due to strong winds. We did re-book for a few days later and we DID go out. Jill was worried about the boat before we even started, and when we booked in, they warned us that there was a 'seasickness warning' and that the swell was 1 - 2 metres! In a small boat that is quite high! I must say, I've been on less scary fairground rides!

We did see a whale - twice in fact, but photos and camcorder footage was left wanting because the swell made it hard to see the whale. The 'tail' shot was impossible both times - firstly because the first dive as a shallow one, so little or no tail popped up. The second one was immediatley swallowed by a wave. Ray and Verig - you spoiled things for us with YOUR footage - we may have to pinch that back again! In summary, a good experience albeit a little lacking. Jill most definatley did NOT like bouncing around in a small boat a couple of miles off shore and probably would not repeat the experience.

Anyway, we had a farewell Barbie which was brilliant - the weather was a bit off, but us 'guys' braved the storm (well light rain anyway!) and huddled as guys do round the BBQ. I did my best to supervise, but for once in my life knew I was surrounded by experts and didn't interfere. There was wall-to-wall steaks, Lamb chops, sausages, grillers as well as specially marinated fish and mussels in garlic butter! That was added to a HUGE spread of salads, dips etc., enough to feed the whale we almost took a picture of!

...the came the day to leave (sniff!). Lal, Val, Cissie, Mark and the kids, Steve (my new mate!) and Gags (Gareth to you) all came to see us off - not sure it was out of love or because they wanted to make sure we left! - kidding. It was sad to leave but I have to get back to work to PAY for the holiday now! So off we left for the long journey to Sydney - all 3 hours of it!

Not many people can say they went to Australia for the day, but WE did. It was funny to turn up with enough luggage for 3 months and when asked how long we'd be staying had to reply 'just 1 night'! It was a SHORT visit - we had a couple of hours in eveing to see the Harbour Bridge and Opera House and about 4 the next day to see Darling Harbour and the Rocks!

We had HUGE problems at the Airport when we tried to leave - our Hand luggage was soooo overweight! I had to argue the toss with one of the supervisors who eventually let us offload a load of stuff into carrier bags to bring each Flight Case down to less that 9Kgs and they also let us have Business Class Allowance! We may have the same problwm in 2 days time so watch this space!

We are now in Bangkok and I have to say, so far, we are pleasantly surprised. The Hotel is amazing - very upper class without making us feel uncomortable - 2 pools, 5 restaurants! We are right on the River which is WILD with boating traffic (water taxis, ferries, barges etc.,) all day and then Dinner Cruises, Floating Discos at night - the lights on they are hypnotic!

We have booked to see the Grand Palace tomorrow and then a Dinner Cruise in the evening. Our last day here is Tuesday and we have booked to see and Elephant Show (or possibly crocodiles apparantly) to I'll let you know how all that goes too!

Enough for now or I won't have anything to finish off with in a few days! Take care and we'll be home soon!

Happy New Year

Where do I start? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.

We've had a brilliant Christmas here in New Zealand. CHristmas Day started with us getting up to find Christmas Stockings hanging up for us - so much for the 'no pressies rule'! Lots of little pressies wrapped up and in a stocking - so much thought and effort - and my first stocking for many many years - Lal - you were very naughty but so thoughtful.

Christmas Day saw 15 of us having a fanatastic feast of Turkey, Pork and all the trimmings! My thoughts that Christmas day would be so different being in hot weather didn't really amount to anything - AFTER dinner sitting in the garden was a different matter! It was certainly a Christmas to remember!

The day after boxing day we flew to Queenstown - a short 40 minute flight which was delayed waiting for 2 ficticious passengers who had got OFF the plane when it came in fromAuckland - a cock up by the Airline which delayed us 30 minutes. We were delayed another hour at Queenstown itself - this time by the Car Hire Company who thought we were picking up the car from Qeenstown itself rather than the airport!

Eventually we got the car and started our journey to Te Anau - this took us just over 2 hours and the secnery was just amazing - as was all of Queenstown in EVERY direction!

After a stop in Te Anau, we drove another 20 minutes towards Milford to Te Anau Downs and our Motel - Gumpy's Backpackers! OK - I cocked up! This complex contained a Hotel, a Motel and Grumpy's - I booked us a backpackers private double room with en suite. It sounded good and was cheap - the view was terrific, but the room was lacking even a kettle and towels. Luckily, the Hotel and Motel was ownedby the same people and I was able to upgrade to a Motel Room for a small fee and we were back in the style we were used to! As a bonus I indavertanly stole their Coffee plunger as it was the same as the one Lal lent us and I packed it when we left! She now has 2!

After a night's sleep we travelled the last coupleof hours to Milford Sound and did the obligatoryBoat trip - which was worth every penny. As a bonus we saw a small pod of dolphins on this journey.

AFter the boat trip we started on our journey back to Queenstown - a 4 hour drive - with a brief stop back at Te Anau for lunch and fuel top up. It was a lovely day and the drive extremely pleasant and easy going.

Queenstown was great - it has everything a picture postcard could ask for - Lake, Mountains and a not too touristy town with a good mix of shops and eateries. We did the Cable car wich was very high and very steep up the hill and gave us an amazing view of Queenstown and the lake - this is a MUST for every visitor and highly recommended!

When we left Queenstown bound for Franz Josef, the sun was shining an we didn't want to leave - little id we know we would rive into torrential rain which would ground all aircraft and prevent us from doing our Helicopter flight over the glaciers - The Motel wasn't too brilliant either so it man ways, Franz Josef was washout for us.

The drive back to Christchurch was great albeit it long. We did it is just over 5 hours after an early start - not ideal for New Years Eve. Again the scenery was breathtaking and we stop at Arthurs Pass for a short break.

New Year's even was at Rhi and Steve's - a great evening of drink - some amazing food - and good music - the DJ was brilliant - oh wait, that was ME most of the time! Anyway, it was back to Lal's for a nightcap of Sambucco and then to a long waited night's sleep!

That's me all caught up, so I'll sign off now. I'll try and make the next update shorter (assuming anyone is still reading at this point!)

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and my first real chance to update the blog in 5 days, so this is just a quick catch up message.

We loved Rotorua, and the smell (sulphur) we were warned about wasn't that bad really! While we were there we did the usual touristy things and went to Te Paiu a thermal reserve and saw a Maori Concert.

We also visited the Agrodome and Farm Park and saw a sheep show! Touristy we know, but it was great!
On our last night we stopped being tourists and became residents - and went to the cinema! Yes, we saw King Kong ! Bit disappointed that they only do salted popcorn and not sweet though!!

From Rotorua we travelled up to Coromandel Town onthe Coromandel Peninsular - what a lovely place it is too! Probably themost picturescque we've seen so far!

The major attraction here is the Driving Creek Railway and Pottery. A narrow guage train ride up the side of a mountain - originally built to allow the owner to mine clay and bring it back down the mountain for his pottery. Now a conservation area and the tourism helps pay for continuing this work. It takes about an hour roundtrip andthe views are breathtaking at the top - a building called the Eyefull Tower!

Our 1 day in Coromoandel ended all too soon and we were off to Auckland for our 2 last nights in North Island.

Well the traffic in Auckland makes London seem almost deserted! There are some nice parts to it, but you'd need more than a couple of days to find them! The bays over onthe North Shore were great though!

We ended our North Island Tour on a high note meeting up with Dan and Jo. We spent two great evenings with them both - family note - Jo is lovely! The NZ air (and Jo) must be doing Dan the world of good as he is happy and back to his old self again!

Yesterday (23rd), we flew back to Christhchurch in readiness for Christmas - we have 14 people at Christmas Dinner tomorrow - so we expect a quiet day! The day after Boxing Day we fly down to Queenstown, so the next update won't be for another 4 or 5 days or so!

Have a great Xmas everyone! See you all again soon!

Rotorua - Day 1

I've finally found a decent Internet Cafe and can therefore update this blog!

Thanks to those that have left comments so far - Mike it was the SHOES not the feet! And we have NO relatives in Wellington, just in Christchurch and Auckland.

We couldn't find the Welsh Restuarant in Wellington as access to Island Bay was closed off because of the World Premier of King Kong which was the same evening! We did however go to a Theatre and saw a brilliant Musical Play called "It's a Whanua thing!" This was one of those last minute 'shall we's' which paid off big time - we REALLY enjoyed it.

We spent the last 2 days in Taupo and it was really good! The Motel was comfortable and close to all the amenities. We saw Huka Falls and the Honey Hive (we were there nearly an hour and a half!) and now are experts in bees and bee keeping! We also know all about Prawn farming after visiting New Zealands only Prawn Farm! We had a private tour this morning at the Prawn Farm - inasnmuch as it was tipping down with rain and we were the only mugs to turn up for it!

Jill even let me take her for a Thai meal overlooking the lake and that was really good - it's seems it's only Indian they have a problem with over here!

We have now moved on to Rotorua - where you can SMELL you've arrived before actually getting here! Probably something to do with all the GeoThermal Fields and natural spa's and geysers.

This is our best Motel Room yet with all mod cons and a private spa bath! Nothing to report as we've done nothing but find this Internet Cafe! So on that note I (well, WE really as Jill is sitting next to me) will sign off now.

We DO all miss all our family and friends in the UK - and we also miss the Kiwi lot we left behind in Christchurch too!

Nearly forgot - Dan phoned us and we'll be meeting up with him in a few days in or around Auckland!

Ade and Jill

Wellington Day 2

We arrived in Wellington yesterday late afternoon after a 15 minute Car ride to the Station, a 5 Hour train ride to Picton, a 3 hour boat ride to Wellington and another 15 minute car ride to the Motel where we arrived exhausted and miserable - the weather being cold and rainy!

We woke this morning to a foggy (they closed Wellington Airport) miserable morning and were feeling quite down for a while - then the sun came out, the fog lifted and so did our spirits - it turned out to be a very nice warm day, so that was nice!

We did the local shops, the cable car and the Carter Observatory - we had a drive round to a very nice bay the other side of Wellington - and may go there again tomorrow. We finished off the evening with an Indian meal - the likes of which I have never tasted, nor wish to ever again - we should have listened to the advice we were given by Verig and Verna!

Tomorrow we plan to do Te Papa - the big modern museum, and finish off the evening with a meal in Scorpios - NZ's ONLY Welsh restaurant! (If we can find it! and if we can get into Wellington as King Kong is premiering tomorrow night!).

Vern - we had mixed feelings about Singapore - overall we quite enjoyed it though!

That's all for now folks!

We are here!

At last I have the equipment to be able to update this blog!

We left Singapore for a 7 hour flight to Sydney where we should have connected with the flight to Christchurch 3 hours later, but this was delayed for another 2 hours so Sydney Airport was not the most exciting stopover! There are only so many cupsof coffee you can drink!

Once in the air, the service in Qantas knocks spots off BA and the flight was 30 minutes quikcer than the expected hours so it wasn't so bad. We had a great welcome from Lal, Val and Ciss and it was back to Lal's place for a welcoming BBQ and fun afternoon and evening. It was so warm we stayed out on the patio till bedtime !

As Lal mentioned on the message board, my shoes needed for the plane, had split along the side which as they were quite new, annoyed me - never mind, I bought a new pair in Christchurch the next day.

Today we went to Christchurch Races and met up with Uncle Darryl, Pauline - their daughter Nicole, Mark - with son Connor and daughter Bridie, Gwen, Justin and their son Marshall, Ciss, Val and of course Lal.

We had a great night - socially and also on a betting level where we came out practically even!

Tomorrow is our last day in Christchurch before we set off on Monday for North Island.

I got some great photos as the races of everyone there, but I will have to get back before I can upload them.

Enough for now, I'll try and find a Cybercafe a few days into our North Island trip. See you soon!

Ade and Jill