Saturday, March 05, 2005
ring the bells..
praise the lord, there is another Wylie!
We'd disappeared upriver Heart of Darkness style, losing all contact with mobile phone receivers and the internet. This was obviously a sign as finally the baby appeared. Upon returning to civilisation today we find that Liz, number one sister in law, has given birth to Madeline Wylie.
Congratulations to Liz, Nick, and Jessica, on the newest arrival to the family. Thankfully she arrived in time to witness this evenings inevitable victory over Man Utd. And more importantly, so it seems, in ample time to allow Grandad to visit and still make it to Selhurst Park.
Weighing 9lb 10 and arriving at 2.11pm on Friday, we thought we'd honour the occasion with the greatest honour possible - the first non backpack related photo on our site. more photos here...
We'd disappeared upriver Heart of Darkness style, losing all contact with mobile phone receivers and the internet. This was obviously a sign as finally the baby appeared. Upon returning to civilisation today we find that Liz, number one sister in law, has given birth to Madeline Wylie.
Congratulations to Liz, Nick, and Jessica, on the newest arrival to the family. Thankfully she arrived in time to witness this evenings inevitable victory over Man Utd. And more importantly, so it seems, in ample time to allow Grandad to visit and still make it to Selhurst Park.
Weighing 9lb 10 and arriving at 2.11pm on Friday, we thought we'd honour the occasion with the greatest honour possible - the first non backpack related photo on our site. more photos here...
Thursday, March 03, 2005
gabor kiraly's grey tracksuit bottoms
First impressions of Laos and Louang Phabang - it's more like Europe than Asia. Getting off the plane from Vietnam we quickly noticed no crowds of people, no conical pointy hats, no families of 4 squashed onto single motorcycles. You get knives and forks instead of chopsticks, there is toilet paper in almost every loo and the street signs are half in french. The sidewalks are cobbled ffs.
But all this nicey nicey stuff comes at a price.
Louang Phabang is the most expensive place we have visited since Russia. Without starting on some cheapskate backpacker rant I will just mention that our usual diversions have been put beyond our reach - a 1 day bike tour would have been $50 and a half day cooking class the same! Everything is priced in $US here - a very bad sign, I have learned. Needless to say we have been focusing on the 'cheaper' activities and the souvenir shopping that entertained us in Vietnam has ground to a halt (and Pete is frantically re-adjusting our budget spreadsheet as I type).
We have managed to loosen the purse strings for 2 activities - a trip to swim in a waterfall which Pete really liked, but freaked me out (cooties); and another to see 4000 old wooden buddhas in a cave (neither of us were particularily impressed).
Luckily we have found free diversions to entertain us in the form of new friends. After meeting the same Kiwi/Aussie couple on 7 different occasions in Vietnam we finally introduced ourselves and arranged to meet for drinks. They have introduced us to another couple and bingo, nights in the local bar have followed. Life is so much cheaper when you can sleep in with a mild hangover until midday.
oh, and some non-Laos related business - happy birthday to Karen, Sarah and Fish.
But all this nicey nicey stuff comes at a price.
Louang Phabang is the most expensive place we have visited since Russia. Without starting on some cheapskate backpacker rant I will just mention that our usual diversions have been put beyond our reach - a 1 day bike tour would have been $50 and a half day cooking class the same! Everything is priced in $US here - a very bad sign, I have learned. Needless to say we have been focusing on the 'cheaper' activities and the souvenir shopping that entertained us in Vietnam has ground to a halt (and Pete is frantically re-adjusting our budget spreadsheet as I type).
We have managed to loosen the purse strings for 2 activities - a trip to swim in a waterfall which Pete really liked, but freaked me out (cooties); and another to see 4000 old wooden buddhas in a cave (neither of us were particularily impressed).
Luckily we have found free diversions to entertain us in the form of new friends. After meeting the same Kiwi/Aussie couple on 7 different occasions in Vietnam we finally introduced ourselves and arranged to meet for drinks. They have introduced us to another couple and bingo, nights in the local bar have followed. Life is so much cheaper when you can sleep in with a mild hangover until midday.
oh, and some non-Laos related business - happy birthday to Karen, Sarah and Fish.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
wylie birthday vol IX
Yet another one.
It might be a cliche, but when your younger brother turns 30, you know you are getting old. Thank f**k the other one is still only 28.
Happy birthday to Nick for tomorrow. So as to make sure my father doesn't feel singled out, we haven't sent you a card either. However, we did send a present - a book, though this was before it occured to me that you were turning 30 and maybe something more than a measly paperback would be suitable to mark the event. So, once again in common with Graham, proper present is to follow.
Back in backpacker land, we are preparing to move onto Laos. Another day, another planet.
It might be a cliche, but when your younger brother turns 30, you know you are getting old. Thank f**k the other one is still only 28.
Happy birthday to Nick for tomorrow. So as to make sure my father doesn't feel singled out, we haven't sent you a card either. However, we did send a present - a book, though this was before it occured to me that you were turning 30 and maybe something more than a measly paperback would be suitable to mark the event. So, once again in common with Graham, proper present is to follow.
Back in backpacker land, we are preparing to move onto Laos. Another day, another planet.
vietnam roll call
1. motorbikes everywhere
2. people sleeping comfortably balanced on parked scooters
3. ladies in pointed conical straw hats
4. pho (noodle soup) for breakfast
5. tailor shops by the hundreds
6. hot pink dragon fruit with white and black centre
7. unsolicited and unecessary 'lunch breaks' on tour buses
8. flower beds, cut flowers, flowers in the markets
9. tet celebrations from feb 8 to 12
10. being ordered 'YOU sit HERE' by tour guides and waiters
11. locals saying 'same same but different'
12. spring rolls: a vietnamese delicacy
13. very tall and thin multistorey houses and hotels
14. entire families travelling on the same motorbike
15. being invited behind the counter to help in post offices
16. strong iced coffee with condensed milk
17. describing things as 'mini'... mini bar, mini hotel
18. being given business cards in shops, hotels and restaurants
19. baguettes and laughing cow cheese for sale on street corners
20. karaoke, karaoke, karaoke
21. most popular song: anything by abba
22. travelling on 'open tour' tourist buses
23. guides, guides, guides - inescapable for everything
24. 1000 travel agents all called 'Sinh Cafe'
25. 1960's time warp palaces
26. white baseball caps
27. women wearing face masks everywhere
28. vegetable crackers, the cheapest snack
29. ATM transactions limited to 70 quid a go
30. remenants of french colonial architecture
31. honda om motorcycle taxis
32. 'total victory' and similar patriotic captions in museums
etc etc.
.
2. people sleeping comfortably balanced on parked scooters
3. ladies in pointed conical straw hats
4. pho (noodle soup) for breakfast
5. tailor shops by the hundreds
6. hot pink dragon fruit with white and black centre
7. unsolicited and unecessary 'lunch breaks' on tour buses
8. flower beds, cut flowers, flowers in the markets
9. tet celebrations from feb 8 to 12
10. being ordered 'YOU sit HERE' by tour guides and waiters
11. locals saying 'same same but different'
12. spring rolls: a vietnamese delicacy
13. very tall and thin multistorey houses and hotels
14. entire families travelling on the same motorbike
15. being invited behind the counter to help in post offices
16. strong iced coffee with condensed milk
17. describing things as 'mini'... mini bar, mini hotel
18. being given business cards in shops, hotels and restaurants
19. baguettes and laughing cow cheese for sale on street corners
20. karaoke, karaoke, karaoke
21. most popular song: anything by abba
22. travelling on 'open tour' tourist buses
23. guides, guides, guides - inescapable for everything
24. 1000 travel agents all called 'Sinh Cafe'
25. 1960's time warp palaces
26. white baseball caps
27. women wearing face masks everywhere
28. vegetable crackers, the cheapest snack
29. ATM transactions limited to 70 quid a go
30. remenants of french colonial architecture
31. honda om motorcycle taxis
32. 'total victory' and similar patriotic captions in museums
etc etc.
.
25 on the board, still 11 or so needed....
Okay, before the football update, a bit about our jolly nice visit north to see some hill tribes.
All aboard the night train to Lao Cai and then onto Sa Pa - the nearest Vietnam gets to a hill station. 3 days of trekking in the countryside surrounded by rice fields, mountains and aforementioned hill tribe people.
Westerners aren't trusted to follow paths and maps and find their own way through the villages, so we had to bite the bullet and hire a guide. Hanh was the lucky guy who had to put up with me and how I always know best (despite him being the guide) for 3 whole days. 22 years old, a fan of the Eagles and the Vengaboys, he quickly told us his favourite tour to act as guide was not our 3 day trek, but the 5 day market town circuit - chief characteristic being a lot of driving and minimal walking. Anyway, he's now promised to correct the error of his ways and follow Crystal Palace and not 'Manchester'.
Casting aside the usual cynicism, the countryside was fantastic and the villages - and principaly the villagers themselves - equally enthralling. The usual hello pen brigade of children had really come of age here. Trying to sell embroidered blankets and pillow cases, these children could speak English perfectly and had a never ending array of phrases to counter your reluctance to buy - 'No way Jose' and 'Liar, liar, pants on fire'. They could even ask what your name was in Japanese.
Anyway, as luck would have it there was a festival in celebration of something or the other. This meant that everyone donned traditional costumes for purposes other than selling Westerners embroidery. Water buffalo races, strange face paint and a competition to see who could climb a greased bamboo cane. Freed from selling duty for a day, the children spent most of the time dragging Courtney round by the hand to meet more and more cousins, sisters and friends. If I thought that certain more critical commenters on the site wouldn't tear me apart for being pompous, I'd wax lyrical about how it was like returning to a bygone era when noone needed to lock their doors and children needn't be scared of strangers...
Which just leaves us with the fair city of Birmingham. 6 points out of 6. Thank you very much Mr Bruce. We were stuck on a train back to Hanoi and with the signal on the phone coming in and out it wasn't till 1am that the joyous news was confirmed. So excited was I at the result, and knowing better than to wake Ms Love, I laid awake for the rest of the night calculating the chances of averting relegation...
All aboard the night train to Lao Cai and then onto Sa Pa - the nearest Vietnam gets to a hill station. 3 days of trekking in the countryside surrounded by rice fields, mountains and aforementioned hill tribe people.
Westerners aren't trusted to follow paths and maps and find their own way through the villages, so we had to bite the bullet and hire a guide. Hanh was the lucky guy who had to put up with me and how I always know best (despite him being the guide) for 3 whole days. 22 years old, a fan of the Eagles and the Vengaboys, he quickly told us his favourite tour to act as guide was not our 3 day trek, but the 5 day market town circuit - chief characteristic being a lot of driving and minimal walking. Anyway, he's now promised to correct the error of his ways and follow Crystal Palace and not 'Manchester'.
Casting aside the usual cynicism, the countryside was fantastic and the villages - and principaly the villagers themselves - equally enthralling. The usual hello pen brigade of children had really come of age here. Trying to sell embroidered blankets and pillow cases, these children could speak English perfectly and had a never ending array of phrases to counter your reluctance to buy - 'No way Jose' and 'Liar, liar, pants on fire'. They could even ask what your name was in Japanese.
Anyway, as luck would have it there was a festival in celebration of something or the other. This meant that everyone donned traditional costumes for purposes other than selling Westerners embroidery. Water buffalo races, strange face paint and a competition to see who could climb a greased bamboo cane. Freed from selling duty for a day, the children spent most of the time dragging Courtney round by the hand to meet more and more cousins, sisters and friends. If I thought that certain more critical commenters on the site wouldn't tear me apart for being pompous, I'd wax lyrical about how it was like returning to a bygone era when noone needed to lock their doors and children needn't be scared of strangers...
Which just leaves us with the fair city of Birmingham. 6 points out of 6. Thank you very much Mr Bruce. We were stuck on a train back to Hanoi and with the signal on the phone coming in and out it wasn't till 1am that the joyous news was confirmed. So excited was I at the result, and knowing better than to wake Ms Love, I laid awake for the rest of the night calculating the chances of averting relegation...
