Monday, November 8, 2010
Home Again! OMG they all talk funny here !
Home again - so what are we going to plan next huh????? Come on Mark...please!
Vomiting , exploding backpacks
Pauline & Marks Travel Awards
Pauline & Marks Travel Awards.
On our last night in Bintan Island we sat down and had a travel awards ceremony!
Best Toilet ;
Changi Airport- Singapore , spotless, sensor flush cistern and sensor taps. Touch screen rating scale on the service.
Worst toilet:
1. Kathmandu Airport- Faeces in the hand basins and toilets over flowing. No running water.
2. Dharan General hospital –squat toilet faeces inside, around and on the floor. No water or hand towel and the lock on the door didnt work .
Best Accommodation:
1. Bintan Island Resort
2. Viv’s Place in Urgup Turkey
3. Hotel 55 in Ealing London
Worst Accommodation:
1. Richards place in London- mould and damp on carpet and walls, no linen –sheets or towels. Dirty bathroom, broken toilet seat and yellow stained walls and ceiling( smokers !)
2. Hotel in Tamghas-Nepal
3. Hotel in Dharan - Nepal
Best bed : Hotel 55 in Ealing London – 3 nights
Worst Bed: Gokuls and Usa’s – Chatara – 2 weeks
Best Journey:
1. Business class Kingfisher Airlines from Delhi to Kathmandu
2. Ferry to the Princes Islands in Istanbul
3. Auto rickshaw ride at night, shared with others, Siligory to train station –Nepal
4. Rail car ride from local station to Coutances.
Worst Journey :
1. Micro bus ride (14 hours) from Kathmandu to Tamghas.
2. Night bus from Seljuk back to Istanbul
Best Meal;
1. Breakfast at Viv’s American friends place in Goreme Turkey
2. Lunch at Chateaux Reicheux - Cancale
3. Yum Cha in Sydney with JC and Barb
4. Roast Pork – Ireland –Martin & Louise
Worst Meal;
1. Coutainville France – ½ a plate of Haricot beans and skate wing!
2. Sauraha Resort- ½ cup of rock salt in the chicken fried rice.
3. French food generally was disappointing
Best Tourism site visited :
1. Pamukkale
2. Mont St Michelle
3. Wicked Stage Show in London
4. Bayeux and St Malo
5. Hagia Sophia
6. Taj Mahal
Worst Tourism site visited:
1. Guinness Brewery in Ireland
2. Chateau Le Salle- 3 rooms only to view ( library, kitchen and drawing room )The Guide only spoke French!
3. Dehli
4. Ephesus ( Mark,)
5. Paris ( Food disappointing)
Best Discovery :
1. Us and that we travelled so well together , we worked as a team and things were easy. Absolutely fantastic!
2. The generosity of people
3. Interacting with disabled children( Marks observations )
Worst Discovery :
1. Homophobic attitudes toward Jon .
2. Extremes of poverty and wealth
3. The filth and peoples acceptance of this
4. The presence of guns
5. The lack of access to WiFi and red tape to access the Internet
The biggest let down
1. Richard
Best Value:
1. French wine, cheese and pastries
Best Purchase
Laptop!
Biggest Rip Off.
Cafe in Paris - $20 euro’s for a beer and water!
Funniest moment (s): Common Theme
Mark choking on chili and the heat in a Dim Sim at Yum Char, AND, numerous times after when he broke out in a sweat having struck something very hot in his food!
The purchase we regret not purchasing .
Wall hanging in Turkey( Pauline)
The Countries we would considering moving to.
1. Australia- Sydney of Melbourne
2. Singapore
3. France
The thing that challenged us the most
The poverty , filth and lack of care and respect for the environment
Marks first, last and best photograph of the trip!
The back view of me standing in the line waiting to use the toilet at Notre Dame! I think he had to wait for 15 minutes.
Overall ( Paulines summary)
On personal level :
The ease of travelling together, how we enjoyed similar things and how much we have grown as a couple .
General level :
My knowledge and interest in world history has increased, as has my political and environmental awareness .
The diversity of cultures and similarities in people. .
The lack of infrastructure .
The high standard and ease of access to education and health in NZ.
Professional level:
The enormity of the social issues and how this impacts negatively on people with disabilities .
How is disability defined .
The meaningful occupations of different cultures .
The stigma attached disability in some societies .
The role of occupational therapy in developing countries
Friday, November 5, 2010
For the Golf Enthusiasts
Spot the flag. Where did that ball go????Jack Nicklaus – Sea View course.
Designed by the masterful “Golden Bear”, the course offers majestic sculptured bunkers, a strategic use of the natural landscape and some unique water hazards. The Par 72 course measures 6443 metres.
12th Hole- a par 3 , with a stunning backdrop of the South China Sea. Due to the high winds at certain times , club selection can be increased by at least four clubs, especially from the championship tees
13th Hole- Par 4 has a unique feature of a split green, as one of the streams on the course runs through the middle. This makes it a difficult and tricky hole
18th Hole- A tough hole characterized by large bunkers and rolling mounds.
Ian Baker –Finch – Woodlands Course The overall concept of this course was to work closely with the natural site.
Many of the greens are surrounded by steep slopes and mounds to create an amphitheatre effect. It will entice challenge and reward the seasoned player while the less experienced will find it ‘flexible’ enough to suit their ability
The Par 72 course measures 6211 metres
8th Hole- The elevated tee at the 526 metre par 5 is a favourite with many. Stretching downhill into the distance before rising to the green, it demands absolute precision from golfers who must negotiate their shots past bunkers, a lake and a solitary tree.
13th Hole-On the elevated tee, take in the enticing vista of the seaside villas and ocean. This hole is affectionately known as “beauty and the beast”
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Our Travel Statistics
Countries we have visited -9
Airlines we have flown with -6
Air flights- 13
Beds we have slept in -25
Night trips -9
Modes of transport we have used -18
Currencies we have used -9
Languages (beside English) we have been exposed to -5
Argument s -0 ( just 2-3 "discussions" where we had opposing points of view. ( But once Mark eventually saw reason and came around to my way of thinking all was resolved )
A typical day at the Resort
Must have been a sour one!
Hat to cover the grey hair!
Day 1: Sleep, eat ,swim, walk , eat , Margarita, walk , sleep.
Day 2: Sleep, gym, eat , swim, walk to beach , cocktail by the pool- Singapore Sling, eat, walk , sleep.
Day 3; Sleep, gym , eat, swim, Frozen Margarita by the pool, massage , eat , walk, sleep.
Day 4: Sleep , gym , eat , swim at pool in the Monsoon rain, Tequila Sunrise at lounge bar , rest and read , walk along golf course , eat , movie on TV, sleep.
Day 5: sleep, eat, swim at beach, walk along beach, swim in pool and Long Island Iced Tea sitting in the pool, afternoon rest , walk around golf course , Awards Ceremony ( future blog) , eat, sleep.
Day 6: sleep, gym, eat, swim at the beach, pack for the last time, pay the cocktail bill , shuttle to Ferry, back to Singapore, shuttle to airport and 12 hour flight to Auckland NZ!
Confession : There were a few G&T’s thrown in
Bintan
The Welcome
A short one hour ferry ride across the South China sea and we arrived in Indonesia at Bintan Island Resort for “pay for 3 nights and stay for 5” , buffet breakfast included . The travel agent failed to mention we would be isolated at a Resort with expensive restaurants, the nearest village life being 30 minutes and a $40 taxi ride away! All this aside, it is a peaceful spot situated amongst 700 acres of scenic gardens and pools surrounded by 2 Golf courses - designed by Jack Nicklaus, sea view course, and Ian Baker-Finch woodlands course , and the beaches .
There are also 12 restaurants and lounges with some spectacular views and culinary selections ranging from Singaporean, Continental, Japanese, Mediterranean, Chinese and of course Indonesian.
There are a range of recreational activities such as tennis, Wii, badminton, basketball table tennis, Xbox etc. We opted for the air conditioned gym each day, swimming pool 
, and beach. At night time a walk around the resort of the golf course.
It took a few days to unwind and feel like we should be leaping out of bed Lonely Planet in hand and heading for the local attractions . We had to adapt to the change in standards and not feel guilty about relaxing and being in such a place , especially after India!
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