This Chapter is Ending

As promised this our last and final post of our year long exploration of Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.

At the moment we are in Bangkok about to have some supper, peruse the night market and then get to sleep early considering our taxi is arriving at 4 a.m. to take us to the airport.

Things here in Bangkok were normal and although we were hounded once again for tuk tuk's, taxi's, and more things than you can imagine, it isn't nearly anything we expected after hearing about the State of Emergency Thailand's capital is supposed to be in. We have so many funny stories just from today. For instance on our way to the Grand Palace this morning (2nd trip - ask later) we met up with three ladies who were feeding pidgeons and came over and put seeds in mine and Elliot's hands. We went along with it because they forced us but then as we were saying good-bye they were telling us we had to pay 50 baht per bag of birdseed! It was ridiculous to say the least. Also, there was the token scam artist tuk tuk driver who told us that the Grand Palace was closed for the day because of a ceremony so we would go with him, but we knew better. That's the good thing meeting other travellers, they warn you about this kind of thing. Not to mention the Lonely Planet - our trip bible. This book is a must for anyone going to another country. A few other tips:

- Keep your passport with you at all times
- Do your research before entering unknown territory
- Don't trust everyone you meet
- Keep in touch with the people you love

Thank-you to everyone who followed along with this blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we've enjoyed writing it. This ending is so bittersweet! We can't wait to get home to see everyone, but at the same time our year of exploration has ended. One thing we can tell you for sure is that it won't be the last.

'Till next time! (there will be a next time)

Love, Amy & Elliot x

We Just Happen to Love Islands

Today we arrived in Koh Tao another beautiful island known for its snorkeling and scuba diving. We woke this morning on Bottle Beach, where we have spent the last three nights, unable to decide whether to stay another or to move on. We decided to move on after seeing the clouds and how many others, including our friends Neils and Merel from Holland, were leaving.

The last few days have been nothing but relaxation. Bottle Beach is a very small resort-like beach on Koh Pha ngan Island with four different spots to eat and to stay. We stayed at Smile Resort for 350 Baht per night and had our own little bungalo which was lovely. We spent the days going from the beach to the water, reading, sipping strawberry and banana milkshakes and then once the sun began to go down we had a nightly volleyball match. Last night we feasted on barracuda, king prawn (shrimp) and baked potatoes, played cards with our new friends and shared many laughs.

Tonight we are going to decide whether to leave for Bangkok tomorrow or the next day. We don't want to spend to much time there because of the riots and craziness that is going on there at the present time, but it is inevitable that we have to go there because we fly out very early Tuesday morning. Not to mention Bangkok has a few attractions that we would like to see before going. I assure we feel safe and secure here in Thailand and everyone has been nothing but kind and helpful to us throughout our journey. The Canadian Embassy imforms us that we should stay away from large groups and use caution, but that Bangkok is fine to visit.

I apologize for the lack of pictures. Our camera is acting up on us and we've left it back in our room. I guess you'll just have to wait and see the photos in person :)

So soon - we promise to post at least once more!

'Till then

Love, Amy & Elliot

Today Was MUCH Better Than Yesterday

Today has been a fantastic day! It started out with breakfast at our new spot Amity Bungalos here in Koh Samui Island and then we rented a scooter for a the day $8 CAD including gas and we were off. It's funny to be driving with so many other scooters on the road and us being one of the only people actually wearing helmets. You will see so many people on the back of one scooter and it isn't uncommon to see a mother holding a baby or a small child sitting on the front. We went to Big Buddah Beach and then we went Elephant Trekking! It was a little scary at first because there was a bit of construction going so our elephant was a little nervous and wouldn't go any further until a few of his friends came along and then everything was great! Our guide was awesome. He even got off for a little while and let Elliot ride the elephant! So much fun and highly recommended if you ever have the chance.

Since our last post Elliot and I spent our last days at Phi Phi Don exploring Phi Phi Lay or The Beach. We went snorkeling, kayaking and swimming at the actual beach. The Island was beautiful and the water was so warm and inviting. We ended the day watching the sunset while eating a great meal with some new friends that we met that day.

The very next day was a long one. We woke up and ate breakfast on Phi Phi Don and then made our way to the ferry just in time to catch a seat and before it started pouring. It was a good thing we found a seat because they managed to jam us in the ferry like sardines and there were people sitting in the aisle and on the top deck in the sweltering heat. After our ferry ride (1hr 45min) we caught an open aired transfer bus (15 min) which took us to a larger bus (1hr 30min) who stopped at a very random stop for us to eat and sweat buckets while waiting supposedly 45 minutes which turned out to be almost two hours for our next bus (1 hr) and then took a ferry (1hr 30 min) and then a taxi ride (40 min) to our beachside resort where we finally got to eat, shower and pass out!

Tomorrow we are leaving Koh Samui and getting on another ferry to Koh Pha Ngan Island. We will be staying at Smile Beach Resort on Bottle Beach - it's supposed to be gorgeous and quiet.

'Till next time!

Love, Amy & Elliot

Happy 60th Mom (Donna) - Love you! xo

We've Replaced Teapots With Sand Castle Buckets!

Since our last post, we spent our final night in Patong Beach which we can only describe right now as full on. We took a crazy taxi ride and then two hour ferry to get to Phi Phi Don Island. I'm sure we mentioned this before to some of you, but right now it is the rainy season. Although the weather is gorgeous (30 degrees) all the time when it rains it definitely pours. As we docked our boat in Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee)it was raining as hard as you can imagine. We had our backpacks covered in plastic and we began to make our way to the nearest information spot to find a spot to rest our weary heads. We ended up finding a spot for $9 Canadian per night. We're spending two nights here.

Some of the best parts about Phi Phi so far have been the scenery, the Cancun Beach Bar, the food and of course the people. Everyone is so unbelievably helpful and friendly. Nobody here has been hasseling us to buy anything and the vibe is so chill. There are no roads on this Island so everyone travels by foot or by bicycle. One can only imagine how this makes for people having to travel and transport heavy goods to all the resorts and new constructions. There are photos everywhere of the devestation from the Tsunami. It's so hard to believe that it really happened.

Last night we decided to have a few beverages on the beach after supper and headed to the Cancun Beach Bar to watch the fire show. We purchased two sand buckets (buy one get one free!) full of our choice liquor and took in the show from front row seats. As you can see Elliot participated in the fire limbo as I participated in the fire skipping rope. Elliot of course did this with ease while I managed to get a burnt ankle! Sorry no pics of me doing the fire skipping rope, Elliot decided to take a video instead which is short - I much prefer a picture, don't you?

Today we are going out on a boat to go snorkeling around Phi Phi Lay. This is the Island where The Beach was filmed and I can asure you it is gorgeous. We will end off the day with a sunset on our boat and then perhaps a quieter night tonight. We might be leaving the Island tomorrow, but then again we might stay another night - why not?

'Till next time,

Love, Amy & Elliot x

No Thank-You, We Don't Want a Tuk Tuk, Taxi or a Custom Suit!

It all began we arrived at the Christchurch Airport at 4:30 p.m. on the 24th August only to wait out the evening (with approx 30 others) and night for our early check-in at 3:30 a.m. and flight to Sydney at 6:30 a.m. After our three hour flight to Sydney we waited at the Airport for five hours only to get on another plane for our nine hour and twenty-seven minute flight before we arrived in Phuket. We were smart and booked a motel 100 meters away from the airport so we could crash for the evening. We don't even want to think about our accumulated 25 hour flight (three different planes) on our way home!

We woke to a beautiful day in Phuket and it wasn't long before we were both in shorts and planning our first destination - Patong Beach. It was a forty-five minute drive from Phuket and it wasn't long before we were being asked if we would like a hotel room from a lady standing outside the one we chose for 500 Baht - which works out to be $15 per night for the two of us. We've only been here for three days but we've quickly come to realize just how cheap it is to travel here. You can eat a delicious meal for $3 or have a mug of beer for $1.80. The only problem is we are constantly being hounded for a taxi ride, tuk tuk ride, t-shirt, sunglasses, tailored suit or just anything imaginable really. It's hard on the head but you have to realize that these people have close to nothing in their pockets and it's their only way of making a living. So yes, they are quite pushy but super friendly at the same time.

Tomorrow we plan to leave Patong Beach and traveling to a few beautiful islands that we were told were a must when you come to Thailand. One of which being the set for the movie "The Beach".

All in all things are great and we are enjoying ourselves immensely and trying to soak up as much culture - and sunshine - we can possibly get before returning home:)

'Till next time!

Love, Amy & Elliot x

PS We apologize for the lack of pictures. We are having trouble uploading them! We will upload more on the next post.

The Last of New Zealand

We are starting to realize what Shalyn and Ryan meant when they came to visit us when they said "4 weeks just isn't enough" because it isn't! Sometimes when we look back it seems as though all we did was drive, drive and drive a little more, but really we wanted to see as much as possible and when we look at the ground we've covered it's actually quite impressive. Looking over our pictures makes us so happy and we are going to have lots of fun going through them with our friends and family when we get home (less than 20 days!).

Since our last post we spent a day touring around Wellington and whilst on this exploration we decided to try out one of the top ten attractions in Wellington - the cable car(pictured). It began when a company took over a new suburb in Wellington in the late 1800s. Due to the fact that it was on a steep hill they needed a mode of transportation to get people down to the the city and to make it attractive for people to purchase land. In 1901 they began the construction of the cable car and after a year of work three tunnels were dug and the cable car was ready to go serving millions since.

Our last few nights were spent crossing the ferry back to the South Island and spending a night right on the beach. Elliot woke up to take a walk on the beach only to find numerous amounts of Paua shells! For those who don't know what Paua shells are, they are found in every gift shop here in New Zealand and you can actually buy polished ones or jewelery. I was so unbelievable happy when Elliot found them and then helped me pick out the best four. We are just crossing our fingers that we are able to bring them back home!

Later that day we drove by a seal colony only to find them all sprawled out relaxing on the rocks and the rest of Saturday was a beautiful drive all along the coast back to Christchurch. We spent our last night at an awesome campground right here in the city and now our bags are packed and we are ready to wait out our time until very early tomorrow morning when we fly to Sydney before arriving in Phuket, Thailand!

'Till next time,

Love, Amy & Elliot x

TICKETS ARE BOOKED!

We will be arriving into the Charlottetown airport on September 9, 2008 at 11:30 p.m. See you then!

Love, Amy & Elliot x