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!!!

Adventures in Fiji on the Tui Tai

Destination: Nadi, Savu savu, and Taveuni, Fiji

Days Spent: 7

Best of: The humanitarianism involved with the Tui Tai visiting different islands around Fiji to provide help and support to those in need

Worst of: Not enough sunshine (of course I still managed to get burned!)

Most Memorable: The welcoming dance from the polynesian tribe from the island of Kioa

Our trip around the world started from Perth and headed first to Auckland, New Zealand for a 7 hour layover, and then on to Nadi, Fiji. Auckland was breathtaking and we climbed the Harbour Bridge Climb in the lapse between our next flight. It was amazing to see the Harbour and have a 360 degree view of the city.

Next, we countinued our journey to Nadi to spend the night before our early 7 am flight to Savu Savu, Fiji where the group from Tui Tai would pick us up to begin our adventure cruise.

 

Day 1: Fly into Savu Savu airport and picked up by Tui Tai host Liga to take us to the boat. We had a welcome drink and met the others on board and then a delicious lunch before we headed out for our first dive at Natewa Bay at Vanua Levu.

Day 2: We set out to ride mountain bikes from the village settlement of Tabiang to a beautiful view of the Tunuloa Peninsula at the mouth of Natewa Bay. We also saw one of the most beautiful waterfalls where some of the local children were jumping off into the pool below. The afternoon was a snorkeling trip right off of the beach.

Day 3: Time for more diving! We dove the beautiful Rainbow Reef and saw colorful fish, blue-spotted rays and swam thru tunnels to see more creatures hiding between the rocks. Below is a picture of a blue eel, which we have never seen on any other dive before. In the afternoon, we visited the Polynesian inhabited island of Kioa to the Somosomo Village. Hugo, the Dutch doctor on board, provided services and medicine to some of the ill in the village and the Kioans performed a traditional song and dance for us.

Day 4: We woke up and spent most of the day near the stunning island of Cobia, a sunken volcanic crater, the inside of which has filled with sea water, forming a mystic lagoon. In the morning we hiked to the summit of the crater. The trail had an interesting terrain of natural steps formed by large tree roots. The island was home to a handful of wild goats and a dense population of fruit bats. Along the way, we came across Fijian children gathering fruit and plants to bring back to the family for dinner.

Day 5: After breakfast, we set off to the waterfalls a short 10-minute walk along a nice trail. There was a huge pool for swimming, which made it an ideal place to relax right in front of the pounding waterfalls! In the afternoon, we sailed to the island of Qamea. We visited a tiny and remote Togo Village for a tour and Melanesian cultural performance. Dinner was made the traditional Fijian method by an underground oven created by the chefs.

The last morning we woke up and had breakfast then got ready to fly out of Taveuni. The crew of Tui Tai sang the farewell Fijian song "Isa Lei" and wished us safe and happy travels as we left.

Our trip was wonderful overall and definitely relaxing. The islands of Fiji are beautiful and the people so welcoming and friendly. Now on to our next destination, the USA!!!

Trip to Lancelin

Kaes and I decided to take the dogs in the jeep and drive up the Coral Coast 1.5 hours to Lancelin. Lancelin is a small fishing village, but known to have some good beaches, beautiful water, and good places for off roading. The dogs love going to the beach and Jaek especially loves to chase the birds, whether in the water or in the air. It was a really scenic drive and a great way to spend our Saturday. Here are a few pictures below of our trip.

The white sandy beaches and beautiful water of Lancelin


Jaek about to head out for a swim


Jaek trotting along - I think he is almost "starting" to get tired

Chloe testing out the water - mmm, not so much...

Litte Chloe chasing after a bird...she has been taking lessons from her big brother, and is now quite the little hunter :)

PowerStation Triathlon and Duathlon

Last Wednesday Kim decided to sign us up for 2 upcoming triathlons/duathlons before we take our home leave in early December. The first one was last weekend (Saturday Nov 14th, 2009) and the next one is Sunday, Nov 29th. Kim did the duathlon which was 2 km run / 15 km bike / 2 km run which she finished in 1 hr 1 min. I did the triathlon which was 400 m swim / 20 km bike / 4 km run which I finished in 1 hr 22 mins. Weather was great and we both did well considering we really didnt train for the races.

Kim and I before our races

Finishing the bike

Starting the run

Starting lap 2 of the run

Finally, I'm finished. 1 hour 22 mins later.

Turquoise Coast - Road trip to The Pinnacles and Geraldton, WA

Hotel: Ocean Centre Hotel - $ 130 AUD/night A boutique hotel in Geraldton city centre and Oceans West $125 AUD/night, an apartment style weekend stay 100 meters from the beach. We are definitely not in Asia anymore! The days of $55 USD/night hotels are OVER!

Drive: 340 miles total to Geraldton; 170 to The Pinnacles, then another 170 miles to Geraldton

Weather: 70 degrees with not a cloud in the sky- It was incredible!

Well we had our first holiday here in Perth - the Queen of England's Birthday. Now this may seem odd to most since we are in Australia; why the Aussie's would celebrate the Queen's birthday. Well, it is weird, especially because of the fact that even the Brits don't celebrate the Queen's birthday, and rumor has it, her birthday wasn't or isn't even this weekend....hmmmm...Oh well, it is a good enough excuse for me because we got a long weekend out of it ;) We realized very quickly that you cannot wait around long to book a vacation here in Australia. It was the end of the 3rd term for students, so many families take the opportunity to book vacations. I called about 15 kennels to board the dogs and FINALLY found a place to take them. We also booked one room, but were scrambling to find another room for the second night. Luckily it all worked out and we were able to take our first road trip up the Turquoise Coast of Western Australia since moving here 2 1/2 months ago.

Our first stop was north up the coast 270 kilometers (about 170 miles) to Nambung National Park, also known as The Pinnacles. The Pinnacles are limestone formations in the middle of the desert. It is quite odd to see them in the middle of nowhere. It was a nice attraction for us to see as well as stop along the beaches in Cervantes to see the crystal clear and pristine waters. The weather was amazing with not a cloud in the sky.

Me in front of The Pinnacles sign

The Pinnacles

Kaes in the crystal waters of Hangover Bay, down the road from The Pinnacles

Our final destination was further up the coast another 270 kilometers (another 170 miles) to the town of Geraldton. We brought our bikes along with us and our main goal for the weekend was to relax by the beach and see the town and coast while getting some exercise. Riding along the coast was a really great way to see what all Geraldton had to offer, and offset some of the goodies we consumed during the weekend. We got up early Sunday morning for a ride north of the town and rode about 1.5 hours. Afterwards, we met our friend's, the Kirkham's, for lunch before they headed back to Perth. Since we had to move hotels, we gathered our stuff and headed to our new location. We were very fortunate because the beach was just a short 100 meter walk. The beach was beautiful and quite peaceful. A nice getaway for all the hard work (Kaes) has been doing lately ;) We passed out early Sunday night and woke up early Monday morning to head south for a nice bike ride/calorie burn. The clouds had moved in from the previous two days, but we were able to get a great ride in to end our last day in Geraldton. After our ride, we headed back to get ready and head home to get the dogs.

Our hotel the first night - Ocean Centre Hotel

The town of Geraldton

Overall, our first road trip up the coast was everything we wanted it to be - quiet, relaxing, and peaceful. Now back to reality...

Click here to view the rest of the pictures from the weekend.

Almost Settled In

Well we have made our move to Australia and found our house. We moved into our permanent house on July 31st and had some temporary furniture delivered until our shipment makes it through customs. Fortunately enough, it made it to Perth within 7 days and we are just waiting on customs to clear it (Who knows how long that will take, but we are waiting patiently)

We found our house in Bicton and didn't realize how much we would love it! The weather has been amazing in Perth getting up into the mid to high 60's during the day and in the 30's in the morning. Kaes and I went on a long bike ride this weekend around the river, almost to the city and back. The view is breathtaking and the weather amazing. The Point Walter golf course is less than a mile from the house and also has tennis courts. Many people gather around Point Walter on the weekends for barbecues, picnics and skiing on the river.

Jaek and Chloe are in quarantine in Byford and as of today, only have 13 days left! Over half way through. They have met many new friends while there and the workers are very nice and friendly. They will both be very excited to move into their new home. The backyard is big enough for them to have plenty of running room and I am sure Jaek will love going for a swim in the pool :)

Here are a few pictures below


Front of the house


The kitchen and living room looking out onto the deck and backyard


Our new backyard


Chloe saying hello!


Jaek rolling on a lemon in the exercise yard at quarantine. Some things never change, no matter where they are!

Big News...

We are MOVING AGAIN!!!

We have been in Singapore since October 2008 and were just given the news a month ago that we would be relocating to Perth, Western Australia. Kaes was offered a position to build a base in Perth and run our Australia plant. Although it will be quite a complex job, we are fortunate for his wonderful opportunity. I will continue to work for my same boss in Singapore from Perth.
Below you can see where Perth is located relative to the other parts of Australia.

Keep checking back for pictures of our new home (once we find it!)