Cruizin through Milford Sound

Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand

Days 10-11

Total Distance: 2,545 kilometres/1,581 miles

Fun Fact: Milford Sound is actually a Fiord, not a Sound, by today’s definition. A Fiord is created by glacial action that produces u-shaped valleys with steep cliffs. Fiords are also characterized by shallow entrances that slope quickly seaward to deep water. A Sound is a river valley that has been flooded due to the land sinking below sea level.

Our trip through New Zealand has not only been adventurous, but we continue to see more and more breathtaking scenery with each new town we visit. We got into Milford Sound on Monday, November 1 and it was a bit dreary. This is the first weather we have come across that has not been perfect spring/summer weather. Luckily the 5 hour drive from Queenstown was quite picturesque and made for great places to stop and take more pictures.

Arriving into the small town of Milford to Milford Lodge where we stayed, we quickly realized that there was nothing in the town except for the ferry terminal so decided against staying our originally planned two nights and opt out of one. We had a lazy afternoon and hoped for better weather in the morning so our cruise would be a pleasant one.

The next morning we awoke to beautiful clear blue skies (I know I continue to use the word beautiful, but the weather really can’t get any better!) and decided to take the early 9:15 cruise through Milford Sound.

The cruise was amazing and it is hard to put into perspective how massive the Fiord really is. Take a look at the picture below of the small boat (by small it carries 300+ people) next to the rock face.

We were also lucky enough to see a colony of fur seals taking their morning naps after hunting all night. They are so precious with their sweet puppy faces!!!

 

Overall the drive to and the cruise through Milford Sound was breathtaking and we were glad we made the long venture to see the beautiful Fiords.

Queenstown – Home of the most extreme adventures on Earth

Queenstown and Glenorchy, Otago, New Zealand

Days 8-9

Fun Fact: Queenstown was the first place in the world to offer commercial bungy jumping.

Skydiving, Bungy jumping, Jetboating, Canyong swinging, white water rafting, and heli-skiing: all can be done in Queenstown - the adventure capital of the world!

Before stopping for the night in Queenstown, we travelled 45 kms north to the small town of Glenorchy. At the top of Lake Wakatipu that surrounds Glenorchy and Queenstown lies what I now believe is the most beautiful place on Earth. The view of Glenorchy towards Pig, Pigeon, and Tree island with the lush green trees, the lake as smooth as glass, and the snow capped mountains in the background was a memory we will never forget. The sun was shining just perfect enough to see the mountainside reflection in the lake. We decided it would be the perfect place to stop for a picnic lunch and capture as much of the scenery as possible.

After lunch we decided to do a bit of hiking along the Routeburn track. The track has many different walks and even has small huts to stay along the way as it is popular for many people to do the 3-4 day hike.

After hiking 3+hours, we were tired and headed back to Queenstown to book our next days adventures. We did happen to come across a Mexican restaurant called Sombreros, but of course were not too excited about the not-so-Tex-Mex food. It would have been really tasty to those who haven’t been fortunate enough to taste Tex Mex!

The next morning, we decided to do the jet boating (which I was not too keen on) and white water rafting combo down the Shotover River. The jet boat was too much like a jet ski and terrified me, but the white water rafting tour was amazing!!! Our trip commenced at top of Deep Creek and went through 16 kms/10 miles of grade 3-5 rapids before finishing up at Arthurs Point. Kaes and I had a blast, even with Kaes being thrown out of the raft on the last rapid!!!

After a full day of activities, we went to The Bathhouse, with another couple we met while rafting from Melbourne, for tapas and wine to top of a wonderful and adventurous day.

The Wonderful World of Ice at Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef, South Island

Days 5-6

Fun Fact: New Zealand has 3,155 glaciers. 18 of them are in the North Island with the remaining in the South Island. Franz Josef is the 5th largest in New Zealand with the steepest commercial climbing available.

After our incredible adventure in Kaikoura, and our long drive to Greymouth for the night, our next stop was to head south 235 kilometres to the township of Franz Josef, known for the breathtaking views of Franz Josef and Fox Glacier at Westland National Park.

The afternoon was a relaxing one catching up on emails and doing some laundry. We did take a short hour hike in the small town just north of Franz Josef called Okarito. The town is known to have a specific species of Kiwi that are only found there, but unfortunately, we didn’t see any on our hike. After climbing up the side of a really tall hill (it felt like a mountain, especially since we were expecting a pleasant stroll through the forest) we came upon an opening that looked out over the town of Okarito and the largest wetlands in all of New Zealand.

The next morning, we woke up for our 9:15 am full day glacier hike on Franz Josef Glacier. One really can’t put into words how large this thing really is. Just to give you an example, notice the picture below of the group of people walking on the glacier. It is not only enormous, but really hard to capture the beauty and magnitude of its size.

We spent 8 hours total hiking and 6 hours on the ice. It was about a 10km hike up rugged terrain and over ice, but with our crampons over our hiking boots, it made it quite easy to manoeuvre over the ice.

By the end of our cold and tiresome day, we had agreed that once again we had a once of a lifetime experience on our incredible journey through New Zealand.

Tomorrow’s agenda will be driving south 180kms to Lake Wanaka to see what it has it store for us!

Wines, Whales and getting wet with the Dusky Dolphins

Blenheim and Kaikoura - South Island, New Zealand

Days 3-5

Total Driving distance: 1153 kms/ 716 miles

Fun Fact: Kaikoura comes from the Maori word meaning Kai = to eat and koura = crayfish

Our day started with a journey from the North to the South Island along the Interislander Ferry. The 3-hour sail through the Cook Strait from Wellington to Picton was quite beautiful with majestic views of Queen Charlotte Sound.

We were originally planned to stay in Blenheim and do a bit of wine tasting, but changed our plans and drove further south to what used to be a whaling town in Kaikoura. We did make time to stop at the Montana winery in Blenheim while passing through for a delicious lunch and wine before heading to Kaikoura.

The quaint seaside town used to be known for killing whales over a century ago, but now finds prosperity in showing them off, along with the various other marine life such as albatross, fur seals, and dusky dolphins. The rest of the afternoon was nice and lazy as we took a stroll along the black rocky beach and took a quick nap in the sun while listening to the gentle waves hit the shore.

The next morning we got up bright and early for a full day starting with the dolphin encounter. Out of all the diving we have done, Kaes and I both agreed that this was one of the most memorable experiences we have ever had. After just a 10 minute boat ride, the captain let all of us off to get in the water to swim with the frisky mammals. We all had on 10 mm wetsuits, but the water was 14 degrees Celsius, which is 57 degrees Farenheit. I can’t begin to express how cold the water really was, but as soon as the dolphins were playing and circling us, we quickly forgot the sacrifice it took to see them in groups between 10-20 at a time, all very interested in what we were. Along with the dolphins, we saw the albatross soaring over the water with the longest wing span of any bird (pictured below) and playful fur seals. The pictures were taken when we got out of the water as we didn't bring our underwater camera :(

After our exciting morning, we didn’t think the day could get much better, but we were wrong. Our afternoon ended with Whale Watch Kaikoura. We saw a Sperm whale that was around 70 feet long stretching across the waters acquiring more oxygen before diving back down into the deep waters.

The day was one of the most memorable we have ever had. It is hard to describe the beauty and richness of New Zealand. Pictures do not begin to do it justice. We were scheduled to end up in Greymouth for the night, some 310 kilometres away. It was a long 5 hour drive through mountains and passes, but we could not have asked for a more perfect day.

Knocking on Hell’s Gate in Lake Rotorua & Lake Taupo

North Island, New Zealand

Days 1-3

Transportation: Air New Zealand flight from Perth to Auckland, 6 hours; Jucy Rentals for campervan; Interislander Ferry from Wellington to Picton

Total Driving distance: 703 kms/ 422 miles

Fun Fact: Sheep outnumber people 20 to 1 in New Zealand

Our adventure began landing into Auckland International Airport on October 23 at 6:00 am New Zealand time. New Zealand is 5 hours ahead of Perth time and 18 hours ahead of Houston time. It happened to be Labor Day weekend and we weren’t able to pick up our campervan until 11:00 am. Since we missed a night of sleep and didn’t get much rest on the plane, we stretched out on a few benches in the airport until time came closer to start our adventure. Once 11:00 rolled around, we were picked up by Jucy rentals, got our Jucy Charga, and were on our way.

First stop was Lake Rotorua, known for its energetic thermal activities and mud baths. Since it happened to be my birthday, Kaes and I decided to stop at Hells Gate (this is the only time I ever wanted to be in “Hell”) for a mud bath & spa. Hells Gate is the most active thermal reserve in Rotorua. The strong smell of sulphur was not pleasant, but the warm relaxing mud bath quickly made you forget the smell and was a great way to end our day.

Our next stop was in Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand covering 240 sq miles. Lake Taupo was formed by volcanic explosions from thousands of years ago and is now known to be the most famous trout fishing lake in the world, yielding in excess of 500 tonnes of rainbow trout annually. The drive around the town was amazing to say the least. I had always heard New Zealand was beautiful, but really had no idea that a place like this existed. The cute tourist town had shops, perfectly manicured gardens, and outdoor restaurants and pubs to enjoy the great weather and view of the lake.

Taupo is known for its picturesque scenery of lake views and snow capped mountains but also for the Waikato River and the spectacular Huka Falls. The full force of the river soars over an 11-metre (36 ft) ledge with enough water to fill two Olympic –sized pools every second. The brilliant turquoise color of the water crashes into a basin below, offering breathtaking views.

Our last stop for the evening was south where we stayed in the small beach town of Otaki at Byron’s Resort. Bright and early the next morning, we got ready and headed further south 70 kms to the ferry from Wellington to Picton, commencing our journey into the South Island.

Margaret River Weekend Getaway

Our trip commenced to Margaret River Friday afternoon dogs and bikes in tow. Margaret River is about a 3.5 hour drive south from Perth. Our first stop was the Margaret River Dairy Company for cheese and yoghurt tasting before checking into our cottage at Margaret House right in the main town of Margaret River.

The dogs were so excited to get out of the car and explore all the new smells. As we were unpacking, we were greeted by a bird similar to a turkey (but could fly) that came right up to the fence. Jaek and Chloe both were anxious to do a little more than just greet them and soon enough, Chloe was under the fence on a bird chase. I couldn’t help but die laughing at our little bird dog that has learned so much from her big brother. Luckily, they were able to fly quicker than she chased them. Not a great start to the trip as I just knew we would get an earful from the owners for letting our dog escape.

That evening after unpacking and getting the dogs settled in, we drove to the town a few miles down the road to walk around and find dinner. Our next stop was the Settlers Tavern for a few beers and an afternoon snack of their delicious Mexican nachos complete with pico de gallo and guacamole.

After enjoying the beautiful weather and doing a bit of people watching, we decided to go to the local butcher to pick up a few steaks to take back to our cottage to grill and grab a bottle of wine.

The next morning we headed back to town for breakfast to have a bit of food in our stomach before a full day of wine tasting. The wine trail in Margaret River is not only picturesque, but full of some of the best wineries in all of Australia. First on the list was a small boutique winery called Edwards Estate. We decided they had some nice wines, but since it was our first stop, decided to not be over zealous and buy the first thing we tasted. I was keeping a list of our overall favorites from the trip to help in buying at the local regional wine center on our way home.

Next on the list was Voyager Estate with its manicured lawns and white stone building that reminded me of being in Greece. I have to say that I didn’t try a wine there that I didn’t fall in love with. Our favorites were their signature Chardonnay and my very favorite, the Sauvignon Blanc Semillon with its crisp refreshing aroma and taste; perfect for drinking during our warm summer months ahead.

Leeuwin Estate was right down the road and is also another popular winery in Western Australia. They are known to have their arts series premium wine label that has a new piece of art as the label for each new vintage that is released. Kaes had been given an Arts Series Shiraz from a vendor last Christmas, and it was one of the best wines we have had since being in Australia. We picked up three bottles here that we both agreed on and headed up the road to Xanadu for lunch.

I was very excited to wine taste at Xanadu as we had done a bit of wine tasting the night before at the Wine Industry Association of Western Australia event in Perth. The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon (did I mention I was a big fan of white wine?) is due to be released in February of 2011, but we were able to sample it at the event in Perth. The friendly representative from Xanadu gave us a bottle of their wonderful Chardonnay and convinced us that we had to have lunch at the vineyard after we told him we planned to head to Margaret River the next day. The 2009 Viogner (pronounced vee-on-yay) was by far my favorite with the flavors of kumquat and apricot that will go perfectly with a Thai or Indian dish.

After wine tasting and a late lunch, we headed back to the town to visit the Aboriginal Art Center and do a bit of tasting at the Margaret River Fudge Factory. (I know you are wondering if this place actually exists with its award-winning wine, superb cheese, and delicious chocolate; but yes, there is such a place) Then we headed back to the cottage to play with the dogs before taking an afternoon nap (wine tasting tends to make you sleepy, and we were on vacation) Dinner was leftover steak and potatoes while watching a movie.

Our last morning we woke up early to go bike riding down to the beach, only 5 miles away. Along the way, we came across some new friends.

They seemed quite docile especially considering that several of them had joeys in their pouch. They seemed just as curious of us as we were them. After we finished riding and got packed up to leave, we headed back to the field to take more pictures of our native friends.

Heading home we stopped at the Regional Wine Center to pick up our favorites from the trip, then headed back through Dunsborough as we heard there was whale watching at Cape Naturaliste Park. We couldn’t have asked for better weather and the breathtaking scenery of crystal blue waters with humpback and blue whales swimming so gracefully through the water.

It was quite a wonderful and relaxing trip for the long weekend that we plan to do again very soon!

All Aboard the Queen Scuba - Our Liveaboard Dive Trip to Bali and Komodo, Indonesia

The conditions on this trip were perfect with lots of sun and blue skies, calm water and a magical underwater world below.

The first day was at Moyo Island and was a nice easy introduction into the diving in this area. The dive sites are a couple of sea mounts that barely break the surface at low tide. A small area of bright white coral that has almost turned to powder has accumulated creating the perfect postcard picture. It’s easy to imagine yourself sitting there under an umbrella sipping a cocktail as time just slowly passes by. With clear turquoise water on the surface and sky, and blue water down below, we were excited to get in for the first dives of the trip. We saw Denise pygmies along with a brilliant blue ribbon eel and of course schools of jacks, rainbow runners loads of different kinds of anemone fish, angel fish, butterflies and some colorful nudies. Off to Sotanda for the third dive where we had the chance to see a collection of giant frog fish along with a couple black ribbon eels and little yellow bargabanti pygmy seahorse.

The next morning at Sangeang Island was full of our favorite small things and gave us the chance to really get into macro diving. With minute filefish, sawblade shrimp, ghost pipefish, a baby lionfish, snake eels, imperial partner shrimp and more nudies then we have seen in a long time. The second dive at “Hotrocks” showed why the current in Indonesia is famous. We had a chance to drift buy the bargabanti seahorses and get a quick look but mostly just flowed with the current and enjoyed the ride. The afternoon dive at “Rollercoaster” was another drift dive which provided the opportunity to get familiar with some of the up, down and all around currents in Indonesia. There were schools of surgeon fish, jacks and a couple tunas out in the blue while the bright colors of the anthias, the angel fish and butterfly fish, lit up the reef as we passed by. The night dive had the sighting of the hard to believe stargazer and loads of unusual decorator crabs, a mimic octopus, and a striped catfish.

Our third day at “Castle Rock and Crystal Rock” was filled with Pelagics, white tip reef sharks, giant trevallies, tuna, maori wrasse, and the best of all three spotted eagle rays swimming in formation above us and next to us for more than 45 minutes. The afternoon was filled with a trek on Komodo Island looking at the famous Komodo Dragons. That night we hit the cold water at “Pink Beach” with an amazing sighting of the poisonous blue ring octopus.

The next day was more water and lots of small stuff like cowfish, zebra crabs, ornate ghost pipefish, orangutang crabs, squat lobsters and pygmy seahorses. On the beach during the day we were able to see more dragons in their natural habitat strolling the beach.
The dives at “Manta Alley” were filled with humphead parrot fish and of course the elegant mantas. In the afternoon we headed back to Gili Banta for a stunning reef dive with beautiful coral and every imaginable reef species you could think of.

Our last two dive were filled with some incredible macro dives with seahorses, snake eels, robust ghost pipefish, thorny seahorses and the mimic octopus. Then we headed into the sunset on our journey back to Bali.

Halfway Around the World...My Trip to Houston via Beijing and Vancouver

After a 5 hour flight to Singapore, a 6 hour flight to Beijing, a 12 hour layover in Beijing, a 12 hour flight to Vancouver, a 12 hour layover in Vancouver, and a last 4 hour flight, I finally made it to Houston! Only 50 hours of travel time!!!

My journey began as I left Perth on Wednesday afternoon (Perth time) 30 June. I first flew to Singapore on a 5 hour flight, then had about 3 hours to spare before my flight to Beijing. What does one do when they have time to spare in the Singapore Airport??? You go to a Fish Spa!!!

The Fish Spa is a type of spa where a type of Turkish fish (with no teeth) suck the dead skin from your feet, legs and anything else you put in the bath to help with blood circulation and put you in a relaxed state. It was quite an odd sensation at first and I had to get over the mental anxiety of fish swarming my legs, but after the initial shock wore off, it was quite nice. After about an hour it was time to head to the gate, China bound!

Fish Spa in Singapore

Note: NEVER fly Air China! Old planes, no TV’s, and bad food. Luckily I was exhausted and slept the majority of the flight and when I woke up, it was time to land. I have to say I am a bit spoiled as well flying Singapore Airlines most of the time. The service and staff are so nice, you forget how nice you have it until you end up on another airline that doesn’t take hospitality as serious as Sing Air.

Beijing
Best of: Seeing the Forbidden City, visiting a silk factory and experiencing a traditional Chinese tea tasting

Worst of: The cloudy and rainy weather

My first trip to China was welcomed by hot, humid weather. Oh how I don’t miss those balmy Singapore days or the August summers in Houston. Luckily, it was overcast so the heat wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I met up with my English speaking tour guide Anly and we headed off to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in downtown Beijing. Tiananmen Square was massive having two large LED screens in the center of the square to show the World Cup. The square is between the Parliament building and the Forbidden City.

In front of Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.The Forbidden City is one of Beijing’s largest landmarks and in 1987 was declared a UNESCO Heritage sites.

Next we visited a traditional Chinese tea house to understand the proper way to drink tea and the different types of tea that are found in China. China is known to have the longest history of tea dating back more than 3,000 years ago. I tried Jasmine, Lychee with Rose, Black tea, and Oolong Tea. Some tea has been “aging” for over 100 years. There is fruit tea and handmade tea with Jasmine leaves rolled into a tight ball that after sit in hot water, open to a beautiful flower that can be used as decoration for 7 days or longer after you enjoy the flavor of the tea.

The last main site was of the Temple of Heaven (above) The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations.

You quickly forget how long 12 hour flights are when you haven’t flown them in several months...this is also where I vouch to not get on a plane anytime soon; only to realize I have to get back home...

Vancouver

Best of: Seeing some of the country's celebrations for Canada Day (Independence Day)

Worst of: Being exhausted!

I landed in Vancouver on Thursday, 1 July 2010 which happened to be Canada Day; which is our version of the 4th of July. Parades and celebrations were under way with Canadians enjoying the beautiful weather. During the summer months in Vancouver, the sun doesn’t set until around 9:30 at night, giving them 16 hours of sunlight. It was perfect for me to be able to not only enjoy the nice weather, but to have plenty of sunshine to make up for the bad weather in Beijing!

My first stop was to Granville Island. The Island is actually a peninsula on the northern tip of Vancouver, not far from the city. The island is known for the famous market with heaps of restaurants, bars, and shopping or great places just to sit out on a bench to enjoy the scenery.

View of Granville Island Markets from an overhead bridge

After grabbing lunch at The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant and spending a few hours walking around, I decided to head off to Stanley Park, just a few more miles northwest.

Stanley Park is a huge park with ponds, lakes and outdoor activities to see and do.

A lake at Stanley Park

Below is a picture of handmade totem poles in Stanley Park.

Just as I was about to leave, I caught this beautiful picture of the sun setting over one of the lakes at the entrance of Stanley Park.

Last stop, Houston!!!

Paris - Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Matching Scarves

Kaes and I in front of the Eiffel Tower

Best of: The great accompaniment from Kathy and Evon. Although our husbands were busy at work, it was great to have the sweet ladies to see the sights of Paris. Chocolate, wine, and desserts were also a highlight of our trip :)

Worst of: Trying to be proactive and buy the group tickets to the Eiffel Tower in advance to avoid the extreme long lines, BUT buying the tickets only allows you "access" to the summit, not the actual ticket to the summit. In lamens terms, you get to the second story, then have to stand in another (extremely long) line to buy tickets to the top. This is a way for them to monitor how many are going up at a time and therefore can shut down the ticket booth when they have sold too many then only reopen when people are filtered out...

Tips: The metro/RER is very easy to get on and off as a mode of transportation. Taxi drivers do not accept credit cards anywhere in Paris. Taxi rides are not cheap either so be prepared with plenty of Euro. Also, the Parisians were very friendly if you made even the slightest attempt to speak their language. Most of them say they don't speak English well, but they can speak enough to get you where you are going.

Paris, however, was overall an amazing city. From the savory crepes and delictable chocolates, to the pungent cheese and crisp champagne, Paris has a wide variety of tantilizing treats. The city boasts incredible views of the Seine River, beautiful parks, and amazing architecture.

The first day my Paris buddies, Kathy and Evon and myself visited the Louvre museum. The Louvre has 8 million visitors a year, being the most visited museum in the world. The day we went to visit happened to be during school holidays and I believe 2 of the 8 million were there at the same time...

In front of the Louvre Museum

Art. One of many things that Paris is well known to have in abundance. Art is one thing, but there were many "paintings" that I would not classify as true art, but an absurd attempt to display very "exposed" pictures that were a little over the top and quite distasteful... The French are far more liberal and open-minded than Americans. That being said, I still cannot come to terms with the obsession of so much nakedness. After the Louvre museum, we were "arted" out; at least for another day or two.

The Louvre Museum gardens

Our day of sightseeing was brought to an end by a very romantic dinner cruise with the whole meeting group on the Seine River. The cruise began at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, followed the rive gauche (left bank) past: Eiffel Tower, Hotel des Invalides, Musees d'Orsay, Institut de France, Notre Dame de Paris, La Grand Bibliotheque, up to the Finance Minestry in Bercy, Hotel de Ville, Musee du Louvre, Concorde, Grand Palais, Trocadero, Tour Eiffel.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is known in France as La plus belle avenue du monde, The most beautiful avenue in the world. It runs for 2 km and ends at the west end at the Arc de Triomph. We did quite a bit of shopping and I was happy to find a Gap there to find some reasonably priced clothes that I was used to from back home. Kathy also bought us our matching scarves as seen below. It was a fun-filled day of shopping, eating, and people-watching.

Me, Kathy, and Evon with our matching scarves

The last day in Paris before we all went our separate was was spent in Versailles visiting the Palace of Versailles, musical gardens and fountains, and the Grand and Petite Trianon of Marie Antoinette.

Kaes with the Versailles Palace gardens behind

Overall, our trip to France was romantic and beautiful. Springtime in Paris was wonderful!!!

Gili T Island, Lombok, Indonesia "Happy Oz-tray-ya Day-e"

Destination: Bali and Gili T, Indonesia

Days Spent: 4
Where we stayed: Harris Hotel in Bali and Manta Dive in Gili T

Best of: Relaxing on the beautiful beach of Gili T, cheap food, and even better, cheap beer!

Most memorable: Candlelight dinner on the top of the Beach House balcony watching the sunset

Kaes and I went had a long weekend for the Australia Day holiday, which is basically the same as our July 4th. For those of you who would like a correct pronunciation, the holiday is "Oz-tray-ya Day-e"

The celebration is quite big here in Perth, but we took the opportunity to get away to someplace new for the weekend, so we headed to Bali, Indonesia and to the Gili Islands off of Lombok. The 3 Gili islands are Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. Gili T is the most popular with more hotels and restaurants and but still quiet enough away from the hustle and bustle of Bali. Here is a map below to show exactly where we were. Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands, so it is no doubt a huge country spread out over a very large region.

Kaes was in Singapore for work during the week, so I flew from Perth and we met up in Bali Friday night. We flew in late, so stayed close to the airport and boat port at the Harris hotel in Kuta. You can spot Kuta and Bali (Denpasar) on the above map at the southern tip of the island. Ironically enough, across the street was a Dutch bar that we decided to go check out and taste some authentic Dutch treats while listening to the band.

The next morning we woke up early to catch a high-speed boat on the Ocean Star express to the island of Gili Trawangan (Gili T for short) which is about 2 hours east of Bali (Denpasar) and on the northwest corner off the main island of Lombok, located in the West Nusa Tenggara region. Lombok map shown below.

We arrived to Gili T around 10:30 Saturday morning and checked into our bungalow at Manta Dive. It was conveniently located right by the boat dock and was a traditional Balinese style bungalow complete with an outdoor shower :)

As soon as we were unpacked and settled, we headed to grab a bite of lunch and then went out for our first dive that afternoon to the dive site "Halik." Here we were quite surprised at how many different species of fish and underwater life we saw and in such abundance!

Map of the dive sites around the Gili Islands

Sunday and Monday were both dive days to the sites Manta Point, Shark Point, Sting Ray and back to Halik. All of the dive sites had colorful fish and exotic sea life. Many cuttlefish, large octopus, stone fish, bat fish, dog-face pufferfish, and even rare frog fish that were enormous for their size!

Kaes and I with our awesome dive guide Dan. He did an incredible job and was quick to point out any creature great or small

Kaes toggling with his new underwater gear

Peek-a-boo! A very shy octopus hiding beneath a rock

A cuttlefish that has changed its color to clear so as to glide through the water unnoticed

Kaes supporting A&M all the way in Indonesia!

The last evening, we decided to go to the Beach House and have a romantic dinner on top of their balcony and watch the sun set. It was a perfect way to end our relaxing and wonderful getaway.

The next morning we heading out by boat from Gili T to Lombok. We had about a 30 minute drive to the airport and enjoyed the lushness of Lombok island complete with monkeys running around the street. Then it was back on a flight from Lombok to Bali to spend a few hours before our flight home to Perth.

On top of the Acropolis and Cruising the Mediterranean

Destination: Greece - Athens & Santorini

Number of days spent: 6

Where we stayed: Hotel Rio (close, but not quite like the one in Vegas) in Athens and Neoklassiko and Porto Fira (after we were "stranded") in Santorini

Best restaurant: A small restaurant, Cafe Classico, looking out to the Caldera in Santorini

Best of: Breathtaking views from the Acropolis, wonderful Greek food and Baklava

Worst of: Although the weather was beautiful in Santorini, the high winds caused us not to be able to visit Crete, which we were a little disappointed

Most memorable: The outlook of the caldera volcano at sunset in Santorini and the lighthouse lookout in the southern tip of Santorini as well as the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens

After a wonderful time in the US with friends and family, we set off to Europe. First we flew into Frankfurt, Germany and had time to walk around the city before our flight to Athens. It started to snow and was pretty cold walking around, but nice to get out after such a long flight. After about 5 hours, we headed to Athens. We didn't get in until the evening, so we settled into our hotel and then found some traditional Greek food for dinner.

The next day we hired a driver, Demetrius, to take us around to all of the major sites in Athens. We started the morning off to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon, temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheum, and the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus. We also saw the Olympic stadium where the first "modern" olympics were held in 1896 and again 108 years later in 2004 for the summer Olympics.

Interesting Fact: The word Acropolis means the highest point of a city, but in Athens it is not. The Acropolis in Athens was a very flat rock 150 meters above sea level where it was easier to build temples and other buildings.

After a full day in the city of Athens, we headed back to our hotel, cleaned up and then went to dinner at a traditional Greek restaurant for crepes and salad.

The next day we flew out to Santorini. We got to our hotel, the Neoklassiko and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the sunset over the Caldera right from our own patio. The view of traditional white houses along the cliffside against the beautiful sunset was a memory never to be forgotten. Santorini is one of the most beautiful places we have been to yet. We rang in the New Year with a romantic dinner in the town of Fira.

The next morning we woke up and started to explore the town. Most things were closed since it was New Year's, but it gave us a chance to enjoy the clear perfect weather and enjoy all the views Santorini has to offer on both the east and west coasts of the island.

The last day we were not able to make it to Crete due to high winds, so we extended our time in Santorini and rented a car to drive all over the island. It was great because we were able to drive to the north to the town of Oia, see all the different beaches (white, red, and the volcanic black beach) as well as drive to the most picturesque part of the island at the south in the town of Faros.

The trip to Greece was unforgettable to say the least. It was a perfect and relaxing way to end our trip around the world and to ring in the New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I know this is a little late, but just wanted to post a few pictures from our trip home to Houston. Before we got to Houston, we stopped in Denver, Colorado to see Kaes' brother Richard and the family. I had not met Ashley, Matt and the boys, so it was really great to finally put a face with the name. The weather in Denver was chilly, but we missed the snow storm that happened a week before. The few days were nice to catch up and see everyone.

We finally got to Houston on December 15th. It was a dreary day, but felt great to be home. Dirk picked up Kaes and I took the rental car to go see my parents. Kaes and I try to "divide and conquer" while we are home to see as many friends and family as possible since we are always on a time crunch. We were both pretty successful with seeing everyone except for a few, but overall, had a great time visiting friends and family.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!!!