Hey Everyone,
So we wanted to write about our first full day in Bangkok. We are staying in the New World Lodge Hotel which is in the Old City district of Bangkok. After getting up and having breakfast we hit the streets for some shopping and exploring. We got a metered taxi to take us to World Central Plaza. We walked around this huge mall checking out all the shops. We took our time in Jim Thompson a popular store in Bangkok. Jim Thompson was an American who got the Thai silk industry back up and running during WWII. We really liked the store.
After finding our way around the world central plaza Farrell sniffed out the high end stores in the Grayson mall. Here we shopped around Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, and much to Farrell's dismay even after the 30 to 1 exchange rate things were still more expensive here then at home. So we didn't buy anything :(! We have a hard time understanding how people are able to afford the prices here, considering when you look around Bangkok and see how poor it is. After walking around Grayson we made our way to another mall called Siam plaza. Here we got some lunch, which was really good. The food at our hotel and around the city so far has been really good and we have been finding ourselves really enjoying our meals. We are also doing a good job of keeping Farrell away from all the peanuts which is a popular thing to cook with here. Dan got a little sick of shopping around and watching Farrell try on cute shoe after cute shoe so he busted out the map and tried to find a tourist spot to go to and take some photos. Dan decided to go to Victory Monument.
Farrell and Dan hopped into a cab and headed towards the monument. After about 5 mins in the cab Dan mentioned to Farrell that the meter was not working (or so he tried to tell us). So Dan brought it up to the driver who tried to say it as going to be 200baht to get there. This was double the cost is should have been for such a short drive so we started to go back and forth on the price. We said we would only give him 100baht and then finally when we got there and realized it should have only been about a 50baht taxi ride. After trying to give him just the 50baht he got a little upset and Farrell got scared so we gave him the 100baht and were a little pissed about it. Then we realized after cooling down it was only 3US dollars so we shrugged it off and said we would get out of any cab that did not turn on the meter (this would come up again).
The monument was a bust, we guess the Thais have nothing to be victorious about. After trying to figure out where we were, we realized we were no longer in much of a tourist area because we could not find any signs in English at all. So then we decided to head back the way we came to get to a more touristy area. Farrell was getting really freaked out but a massage place caught her eye and we decided to stop. Farrell got her feet rubbed and Dan got a Thai massage and is feeling a little sore today because of it, they really twist and push you around. Farrell was grossed out when getting her massage because two roaches crawled up the chair during the session and the women could not figure out why she could not relax. It only cost us 300baht total so we could not complain.
We continued down the street and made our way back to the malls where we started. it was rush hour at the time which gave us a lot of problems when trying to get a taxi. We wanted to go back to the hotel but every time we went to a taxi they would not turn on their meter. They just wanted us to name a price but what happens when you do that is when you arrive at your place they want more. So we refused to get into any cab unless they were going to turn on the meter. And this is not even the tutt tutt. They are even worse and give you a much harder time.
We waited it out, got some dinner and then headed home. We waited in the taxi line for about 20mins and got a cab driver that would finally turn on his meter. We made it home safe and sound and are learning more about this place every day. We head out today for some more adventures.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thailand!!!!!
Hey Everyone,
We said goodbye to Singapore and HELLO to Thailand. Today 6/29 we arrived safely to Bangkok. Things that we found interesting so far: no seat belts in the cab, Dan got his head shaved for $3, the city is dirty (so dirty that Farrell decided to stop biting her nails in hopes of saving herself from a disease) and mad people live here!!!! We just walked around for a few hours after arriving and tried to mix with the local vendors. We found an ipod nano for 1800 baht which is like 60 US dollars. We are thinking of starting a business of it, hahha just kidding.
Anyway we just wanted to let everyone know that we arrived safe and are doing well. We are in the city of Bangkok just for a few days and then we head out on our Intrepid trek through the entire country for about 3 wks. We are unsure of our internet access but we hope to talk to you guys as much as possible.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
We said goodbye to Singapore and HELLO to Thailand. Today 6/29 we arrived safely to Bangkok. Things that we found interesting so far: no seat belts in the cab, Dan got his head shaved for $3, the city is dirty (so dirty that Farrell decided to stop biting her nails in hopes of saving herself from a disease) and mad people live here!!!! We just walked around for a few hours after arriving and tried to mix with the local vendors. We found an ipod nano for 1800 baht which is like 60 US dollars. We are thinking of starting a business of it, hahha just kidding.
Anyway we just wanted to let everyone know that we arrived safe and are doing well. We are in the city of Bangkok just for a few days and then we head out on our Intrepid trek through the entire country for about 3 wks. We are unsure of our internet access but we hope to talk to you guys as much as possible.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Friday, June 27, 2008
Singapore Days 2-4!!
Hey Everyone!!
So Singapore has been super amazing!! we have seen a lot and it has all been really cool!! On our first day here we took the hotel shuttle over to Orchard Rd and walked all along the streets! There is lots of shopping to be done in Singapore and surprisingly Farrell has not bought a single thing! (quite impressive) Once we arrived we decided to find some breakfast. We ended up in the basement of one of the many malls in a little market of different shops! Not like Adelaide where that was open, but rather more individual shops all. As we were walking around Farrell noticed an odd candy shop and saw some thing called honey chili squid, and called Dan over to LOOK at this odd item, the lady working the shop was cutting small pieces off for us to try. Dan approached and before asking what it was Dan just put this gross squid in his mouth and proceed to throw up in his mouth while blaming Farrell for making him try it. The funny part is Farrell never forced him to try this he was just so hungry that he would have put anything in his mouth. He was also tricked by the glass candy container thinking it was going to be something tasty! Dan is still complaining about this day and everything reminds him of this smell, Farrell still finds it funny.
Throughout the day we just walked all around the city and every mall is so gigantic and there are 5 malls to every street! Singapore is beautiful but everything is man made. so after a long day of walking around Dan's back was about to break, Farrell could have walked another 5 miles due to her retail training but Dan found a cab and we went back to the hotel for a few hours!! Then we decided to head out for dinner at Clarke Quay this really swanky area on the water with lots of indoor/outdoor restaurants. We finally picked a place and the food was interesting to say the least. Farrell was forced to use chopsticks and this did not go over well...lets just say she didn't eat much of the rice. Dan on the other hand was quite a pro and did get to eat lots of rice. He even offered to spoon feed Farrell. We got into a taxi after dinner and headed back to the hotel where they both got massages!! All in all it was a great day
Day 3
So we woke up early and headed to the clinic (Farrell got sick so she needed to see a doctor) Unlike American emergency rooms we walked in waited 3 minutes saw a doctor for 5 minutes, picked up the prescription at the checkout counter and were back to shopping within 20 minutes!! It was just a sinus infection pretty standard....
We shopping around the World City mall for a bit then decided to walk home. After getting lost in the heat they found their way back to the hotel to cool off before heading to the Singapore Zoo.
We got to the zoo around 2pm and Farrell had her first break down on the trip (4 week mind you) around 2:05pm...after tears and deep breaths, we began our adventure at the zoo. We saw lots of cool animals. First we watched the feeding of the white tigers...such pretty animals!! And then we headed to the hippos and we saw lots of different monkeys. Farrell enjoyed the bamboos with red butts, some had saggy red butts...Dan thought this was gross. Then we watched the elephant show where 4 different elephants entertained the crowd. After finishing the zoo trail we headed to Ben and Jerry's (what Singapore calls America's favorite ice cream) to get some smoothies. Then we headed to the Night Safari next door to the zoo to get some dinner!! We really thought the zoo was amazing and we had a lot of fun.
The Night Safari is the only one in the world where you can take a 45 minute tram ride around the park to see all the nocturnal animals in their natural habitats. We saw a pack of wolves, several different types of pigs, Hyenas, HUGE rhinos, Lions, ant eaters, zebras and many more! It was so cool to see these animals at night. The environment really set a mystic ambiance. It was really dark with only dim lights every so often and none of the animals were in cages, so when walking along the paths you felt as though you were walking in their territory. It was really hard to take photos but the experience was incredible. After walking around we saw a tribal performance which involved lots of fire and a poor Asian spectator brought on stage for humiliation. We did manage to video tape some of this performance, which we cant wait to show you. We finished the night off by watching the "Creatures of the Night" show which gave a spotlight on a few of the animals. We also really enjoyed this show!! We finally headed home after spending 9 hours at the zoo!
Day 4
We had another early start and went to Sentosa Island. Here went to Underwater World, an aquarium and Dolphin lagoon. First we went to the Dolphin lagoon because we had an appointment to swim with the dolphins. These dolphins are special because they are pink. Well they start off gray but turn pink as they get older. We were in a group of five and got to meet with three dolphins. One of them, Pat, painted us a picture which was cool and we got to give him some commands and watch him perform the tricks. Then we got into the water and swam with Young and Han. We got to hang onto their fins and go for a ride. It was a really amazing experience and the dolphins were just breath taking. We got lots of photos and just had an incredible time. After swimming with the dolphins we headed over to the aquarium. Inside the aquarium we took lots of awesome photos of some great fish and huge crabs. there was even a moving floor that took us through a tunnel where the fish and SHARKS swam above and all around us. It was a lot of fun. After the aquarium we headed to get some fish reflexology!!! Fish reflexology is where you sit on the edge of a small pool and allow hundreds of small fish to eat the dead skin off of your feet. There are two types of fish to choose from. One set is small Turkish fish who are less aggressive and then there are the African fish who are bigger and more aggressive. Dan and Farrell decided to put their feet in the pool with the more aggressive African Fish. Trying to put ones feet in this pool at first is really difficult because the fish just attack and start eating. So after a lot of laughing and biting of towels the two managed to get their entire feet in the water. Dan even had to demand that Farrell finally put her feet in so that some of the hundreds of fish would go over to her. the tickling was hard to get your mind over.
It was really cool though and we enjoyed it. After the fish we got our feet rubbed as well as our head, neck and shoulders and then we headed out. It was a really cool experience and the pictures will help to show what we are talking about.
After deciding what to do next the two headed to another part of the island where they could relax on the beach. They had gotten tickets to a show called the songs of the sea but that was not till the evening so they had a little time to kill. the beach was called Siloso beach and the water was just beautiful, despite the oil takers in the background. After swimming the entire time since the weather is just so hot they got changed in the locker room and headed to the show. the show was fun and entertaining despite the screaming kids from the fireworks. We then just got in a cab and headed back for our hotel since we were so tired from the long day.
Our next days activities were to head to Chinatown, Little India, Arab st, the 24-hr shopping mall and a few other last minute stops.
Our time in Singapore is almost over since we head out on Sunday for Thailand. We have had an absolute blast in Singapore and find it to be a great city. We know that Thailand will be a real culture shock but we cant wait for our 3 week trek and our chance to ride the elephants.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
So Singapore has been super amazing!! we have seen a lot and it has all been really cool!! On our first day here we took the hotel shuttle over to Orchard Rd and walked all along the streets! There is lots of shopping to be done in Singapore and surprisingly Farrell has not bought a single thing! (quite impressive) Once we arrived we decided to find some breakfast. We ended up in the basement of one of the many malls in a little market of different shops! Not like Adelaide where that was open, but rather more individual shops all. As we were walking around Farrell noticed an odd candy shop and saw some thing called honey chili squid, and called Dan over to LOOK at this odd item, the lady working the shop was cutting small pieces off for us to try. Dan approached and before asking what it was Dan just put this gross squid in his mouth and proceed to throw up in his mouth while blaming Farrell for making him try it. The funny part is Farrell never forced him to try this he was just so hungry that he would have put anything in his mouth. He was also tricked by the glass candy container thinking it was going to be something tasty! Dan is still complaining about this day and everything reminds him of this smell, Farrell still finds it funny.
Throughout the day we just walked all around the city and every mall is so gigantic and there are 5 malls to every street! Singapore is beautiful but everything is man made. so after a long day of walking around Dan's back was about to break, Farrell could have walked another 5 miles due to her retail training but Dan found a cab and we went back to the hotel for a few hours!! Then we decided to head out for dinner at Clarke Quay this really swanky area on the water with lots of indoor/outdoor restaurants. We finally picked a place and the food was interesting to say the least. Farrell was forced to use chopsticks and this did not go over well...lets just say she didn't eat much of the rice. Dan on the other hand was quite a pro and did get to eat lots of rice. He even offered to spoon feed Farrell. We got into a taxi after dinner and headed back to the hotel where they both got massages!! All in all it was a great day
Day 3
So we woke up early and headed to the clinic (Farrell got sick so she needed to see a doctor) Unlike American emergency rooms we walked in waited 3 minutes saw a doctor for 5 minutes, picked up the prescription at the checkout counter and were back to shopping within 20 minutes!! It was just a sinus infection pretty standard....
We shopping around the World City mall for a bit then decided to walk home. After getting lost in the heat they found their way back to the hotel to cool off before heading to the Singapore Zoo.
We got to the zoo around 2pm and Farrell had her first break down on the trip (4 week mind you) around 2:05pm...after tears and deep breaths, we began our adventure at the zoo. We saw lots of cool animals. First we watched the feeding of the white tigers...such pretty animals!! And then we headed to the hippos and we saw lots of different monkeys. Farrell enjoyed the bamboos with red butts, some had saggy red butts...Dan thought this was gross. Then we watched the elephant show where 4 different elephants entertained the crowd. After finishing the zoo trail we headed to Ben and Jerry's (what Singapore calls America's favorite ice cream) to get some smoothies. Then we headed to the Night Safari next door to the zoo to get some dinner!! We really thought the zoo was amazing and we had a lot of fun.
The Night Safari is the only one in the world where you can take a 45 minute tram ride around the park to see all the nocturnal animals in their natural habitats. We saw a pack of wolves, several different types of pigs, Hyenas, HUGE rhinos, Lions, ant eaters, zebras and many more! It was so cool to see these animals at night. The environment really set a mystic ambiance. It was really dark with only dim lights every so often and none of the animals were in cages, so when walking along the paths you felt as though you were walking in their territory. It was really hard to take photos but the experience was incredible. After walking around we saw a tribal performance which involved lots of fire and a poor Asian spectator brought on stage for humiliation. We did manage to video tape some of this performance, which we cant wait to show you. We finished the night off by watching the "Creatures of the Night" show which gave a spotlight on a few of the animals. We also really enjoyed this show!! We finally headed home after spending 9 hours at the zoo!
Day 4
We had another early start and went to Sentosa Island. Here went to Underwater World, an aquarium and Dolphin lagoon. First we went to the Dolphin lagoon because we had an appointment to swim with the dolphins. These dolphins are special because they are pink. Well they start off gray but turn pink as they get older. We were in a group of five and got to meet with three dolphins. One of them, Pat, painted us a picture which was cool and we got to give him some commands and watch him perform the tricks. Then we got into the water and swam with Young and Han. We got to hang onto their fins and go for a ride. It was a really amazing experience and the dolphins were just breath taking. We got lots of photos and just had an incredible time. After swimming with the dolphins we headed over to the aquarium. Inside the aquarium we took lots of awesome photos of some great fish and huge crabs. there was even a moving floor that took us through a tunnel where the fish and SHARKS swam above and all around us. It was a lot of fun. After the aquarium we headed to get some fish reflexology!!! Fish reflexology is where you sit on the edge of a small pool and allow hundreds of small fish to eat the dead skin off of your feet. There are two types of fish to choose from. One set is small Turkish fish who are less aggressive and then there are the African fish who are bigger and more aggressive. Dan and Farrell decided to put their feet in the pool with the more aggressive African Fish. Trying to put ones feet in this pool at first is really difficult because the fish just attack and start eating. So after a lot of laughing and biting of towels the two managed to get their entire feet in the water. Dan even had to demand that Farrell finally put her feet in so that some of the hundreds of fish would go over to her. the tickling was hard to get your mind over.
It was really cool though and we enjoyed it. After the fish we got our feet rubbed as well as our head, neck and shoulders and then we headed out. It was a really cool experience and the pictures will help to show what we are talking about.
After deciding what to do next the two headed to another part of the island where they could relax on the beach. They had gotten tickets to a show called the songs of the sea but that was not till the evening so they had a little time to kill. the beach was called Siloso beach and the water was just beautiful, despite the oil takers in the background. After swimming the entire time since the weather is just so hot they got changed in the locker room and headed to the show. the show was fun and entertaining despite the screaming kids from the fireworks. We then just got in a cab and headed back for our hotel since we were so tired from the long day.
Our next days activities were to head to Chinatown, Little India, Arab st, the 24-hr shopping mall and a few other last minute stops.
Our time in Singapore is almost over since we head out on Sunday for Thailand. We have had an absolute blast in Singapore and find it to be a great city. We know that Thailand will be a real culture shock but we cant wait for our 3 week trek and our chance to ride the elephants.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
SINGAPORE!!!
Hey Everyone!!!
After a long 5.5 hour flight we arrived in Singapore. We headed over to our hotel where we were treated like Celebs! And watched some tv before going to bed.
This morning we woke up and headed over to Orchard Road (Newbury on steroids) and now we are on our way to the Toy Museum.
We will fill you all in on our next few days here which will include underwater world, and a night safari!!!!!!!
Lots of Love
Farrell and Dan
After a long 5.5 hour flight we arrived in Singapore. We headed over to our hotel where we were treated like Celebs! And watched some tv before going to bed.
This morning we woke up and headed over to Orchard Road (Newbury on steroids) and now we are on our way to the Toy Museum.
We will fill you all in on our next few days here which will include underwater world, and a night safari!!!!!!!
Lots of Love
Farrell and Dan
Monday, June 23, 2008
Perth AU Days 8-10
Hey Everyone,
We are about to head out from Perth tomorrow (6/24) and head to Singapore but before that we wanted to let you know all that we did in Perth Australia.
Perth is on the Western side of Australia and is a really hip and young city. We are staying at the Rendezvous Hotel which is right on the water. Our balcony has a great view and over looks the beach. Perth is a major surfing city so all day there are people out there surfing. When we first arrived from Adelaide we decided to go for a walk along the beach and just check out the area. We walked up and down the beach and checked out the different restaurants and shops. The sun was setting which made for a really nice evening. We decided to go to Jimmy Deans which is a diner by the beach. It is filled with American rock and roll music paraphernalia. The most exciting part however was that they actually had Ketchup!! We have been dealing with this Tomato sauce crap for so long it was amazing to have some real ketchup. The food was actually really good, Farrell got a lemon lime bitter which is a fun drink and tastes really good too but hard to describe. Dan and Farrell both go burgers for dinner and enjoyed themselves.
The next morning the two go up to head to church since it was Sunday. When we arrived we were nervous because we thought we were really under dressed compared to everyone else. As we sucked it up and headed in, we discovered that this Sunday was first holy communion. The church was packed the mass was LONG, kids were crying and the priest barely spoke English since he was from Korea but all in all it was funny. After we walked back to the hotel we looked into heading into the city. The concierge was really nice because he let old man Richard drive the two of us into the city free of charge. So we arrived into the city and Richard says "Oh to the right two blocks is all the shops and straight ahead to blocks is where you will catch the bus back to the hotel". So Dan and Farrell walked around the shops for a few hours which was really nice. Farrell even bought book six of Harry Potter since she finished 7 and is really addicted. We had coffee and really enjoyed the atmosphere and people. When we were ready to leave we stuck to Richards directions which were WRONG! Basically we check every bus stop on Wellington street for about a mile trying to find bus 400. After asking so many people we finally found the right stop. This was the first time on our trip that we were actually lost, not driving throughout all of NZ were we this confused. We caught the bus, headed home and enjoyed yet another dinner at Jimmy Deans.
For our second day we decided to go to Caversham Wildlife park. It was an AWESOME day! We walked around the park seeing, Tasmanian Devils who run laps, Wombats who sit for pictures, Wallabies, Owls, Cockatoos, Koalas, feed Kangaroos and their Joeys (a baby marsupial) and so much more. We even watched a farm show which included sheering a sheep, cracking a whip, milking a cow, making billy tea, and feeding baby lambs. Then there was picture time with Tommy the donkey who won an Australia funniest home video for his food catching abilities. Emino you have some competition here. We got some good pictures with Tommy which we cant wait to show. The park was awesome and a great way to end an awesome trip in Australia.
We head out tomorrow morning for Singapore and will post when we get there so you know we are safe. Australia is incredible but we cant wait to see what South Asia has to offer.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
We are about to head out from Perth tomorrow (6/24) and head to Singapore but before that we wanted to let you know all that we did in Perth Australia.
Perth is on the Western side of Australia and is a really hip and young city. We are staying at the Rendezvous Hotel which is right on the water. Our balcony has a great view and over looks the beach. Perth is a major surfing city so all day there are people out there surfing. When we first arrived from Adelaide we decided to go for a walk along the beach and just check out the area. We walked up and down the beach and checked out the different restaurants and shops. The sun was setting which made for a really nice evening. We decided to go to Jimmy Deans which is a diner by the beach. It is filled with American rock and roll music paraphernalia. The most exciting part however was that they actually had Ketchup!! We have been dealing with this Tomato sauce crap for so long it was amazing to have some real ketchup. The food was actually really good, Farrell got a lemon lime bitter which is a fun drink and tastes really good too but hard to describe. Dan and Farrell both go burgers for dinner and enjoyed themselves.
The next morning the two go up to head to church since it was Sunday. When we arrived we were nervous because we thought we were really under dressed compared to everyone else. As we sucked it up and headed in, we discovered that this Sunday was first holy communion. The church was packed the mass was LONG, kids were crying and the priest barely spoke English since he was from Korea but all in all it was funny. After we walked back to the hotel we looked into heading into the city. The concierge was really nice because he let old man Richard drive the two of us into the city free of charge. So we arrived into the city and Richard says "Oh to the right two blocks is all the shops and straight ahead to blocks is where you will catch the bus back to the hotel". So Dan and Farrell walked around the shops for a few hours which was really nice. Farrell even bought book six of Harry Potter since she finished 7 and is really addicted. We had coffee and really enjoyed the atmosphere and people. When we were ready to leave we stuck to Richards directions which were WRONG! Basically we check every bus stop on Wellington street for about a mile trying to find bus 400. After asking so many people we finally found the right stop. This was the first time on our trip that we were actually lost, not driving throughout all of NZ were we this confused. We caught the bus, headed home and enjoyed yet another dinner at Jimmy Deans.
For our second day we decided to go to Caversham Wildlife park. It was an AWESOME day! We walked around the park seeing, Tasmanian Devils who run laps, Wombats who sit for pictures, Wallabies, Owls, Cockatoos, Koalas, feed Kangaroos and their Joeys (a baby marsupial) and so much more. We even watched a farm show which included sheering a sheep, cracking a whip, milking a cow, making billy tea, and feeding baby lambs. Then there was picture time with Tommy the donkey who won an Australia funniest home video for his food catching abilities. Emino you have some competition here. We got some good pictures with Tommy which we cant wait to show. The park was awesome and a great way to end an awesome trip in Australia.
We head out tomorrow morning for Singapore and will post when we get there so you know we are safe. Australia is incredible but we cant wait to see what South Asia has to offer.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Adelaide- AU Days 5-7
Hey Everyone,
We are still chillin down under and loving every minute of it.
We just wanted to back track just a little to tell you about a few funny things we learned along the way. First in Alice Springs when we got in the truck to start our drive we stopped first at a Camel Farm. At the Camel farm Farrell and Dan decided to jump on the back of a camel and went for a ride. The two signed up for a ride on Blackie and due to Farrell's Arab heritage she was a natural!!! Dan on the other hand was pretty much falling off the back and had no idea what he was doing. Trust us the pictures tell the truth. The other thing we wanted to mention that we had forgotten was that our guide Jerry recently had a child. Now the interesting thing is that in Australia if you have a child there is a baby bonus. Our guide received 4,500 for having his child. If you have triplets you get 16,000, not to bad. The high schoolers got word of the gold and tried to take advantage of the baby bonus but poppin them out when they could. The towns had to put an end to the troubles and would still give them the bonus but gave it to them weekly instead of in a lump sum. Pretty crazy stuff those aussies.
Well now onto Adelaide which is in the Southern part of AU. We were staying at the Oaks Pier Plaza which is in Glenelg just outside the city of Adelaide and right on the water. On our first day we pretty much just got a feel for the area. We walked around a bit, found an Internet cafe and went to the super market because our room at the hotel has a full kitchen so we were down for making ourselves omelettes in the morning (Farrell's fav). Then the next morning we got up had breakfast and headed on the tram into Adelaide to experience their Central Market. We had a great time seeing this area. It was a huge market filled with all different ethnic foods and specialities. Farrell and Dan after walking through all the chaos for a bit decided to get some coffee and baklava and chill at a table. It was really cool site, similar to Haymarket but on steroids. After the coffee the two headed through the arcade and came upon Max Massage. Farrell wanted to get reflexology done. Dan is too ticklish in the feet area for that. So while she got her Reflexology done he headed for a local pub, had a beer and watched AU beat Hungry in soccer. Then the we just headed back after that and relaxed for a bit. then went out to dinner at Gringo's a Mexican restaurant and they even split a liter of Margarita - what a party!!!
The next day the two headed to daily mass at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral which was really spectacular and a great old church. Then the two headed out on their Coffee and Chocolate tour. The tour entailed a group of 10 people and a guide walking around to 6 different chocolate and coffee shops. The group dwindled to 8 as two really really grumpy cadbury workers (as in the chocolate) wanted a refund but couldn't get it so came for a bit but then dropped out. We were much better off without them. The stops were great and the two had a lot of chocolate and coffee which was amazing. Dan even got the chance to have a chili thats right a chili hot chocolate at cocolate one of our stops. Dan and Farrell both liked it a lot and came with a nice kick at the end. All and all it was a great tour and a great way to see the city. We even ended at the Hilton Hotel with fruit fondue and wine. As people slowly left the lounge the only 4 people left were Dan and Farrell along with this New Zealand couple. Even though they were our parents age, they wanted to talk to us and finish another bottle of wine. We had some good conversations and then headed out on our way. What Dan and Farrell have learned when talking to people from other countries is that all and all everyone hates Bush, literally.
That most exciting point on this trip for Farrell has been when we got home that night and was flipping through the channels only to find FRIENDS on next!! Even though they had cut some stuff out Farrell still knew the exact lines and was like a little kid in a candy shop with her American shows.
Then the next morning we had to leave Adelaide which was really sad because we both really enjoyed it.
Now we have arrived in Perth and are staying at the Rendezvous hotel which is right on the water as well. Perth is on the west coast of Australia. We will be here for 4 days and then head out for Singapore where we will be for 5 days. Talk to you later.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
We are still chillin down under and loving every minute of it.
We just wanted to back track just a little to tell you about a few funny things we learned along the way. First in Alice Springs when we got in the truck to start our drive we stopped first at a Camel Farm. At the Camel farm Farrell and Dan decided to jump on the back of a camel and went for a ride. The two signed up for a ride on Blackie and due to Farrell's Arab heritage she was a natural!!! Dan on the other hand was pretty much falling off the back and had no idea what he was doing. Trust us the pictures tell the truth. The other thing we wanted to mention that we had forgotten was that our guide Jerry recently had a child. Now the interesting thing is that in Australia if you have a child there is a baby bonus. Our guide received 4,500 for having his child. If you have triplets you get 16,000, not to bad. The high schoolers got word of the gold and tried to take advantage of the baby bonus but poppin them out when they could. The towns had to put an end to the troubles and would still give them the bonus but gave it to them weekly instead of in a lump sum. Pretty crazy stuff those aussies.
Well now onto Adelaide which is in the Southern part of AU. We were staying at the Oaks Pier Plaza which is in Glenelg just outside the city of Adelaide and right on the water. On our first day we pretty much just got a feel for the area. We walked around a bit, found an Internet cafe and went to the super market because our room at the hotel has a full kitchen so we were down for making ourselves omelettes in the morning (Farrell's fav). Then the next morning we got up had breakfast and headed on the tram into Adelaide to experience their Central Market. We had a great time seeing this area. It was a huge market filled with all different ethnic foods and specialities. Farrell and Dan after walking through all the chaos for a bit decided to get some coffee and baklava and chill at a table. It was really cool site, similar to Haymarket but on steroids. After the coffee the two headed through the arcade and came upon Max Massage. Farrell wanted to get reflexology done. Dan is too ticklish in the feet area for that. So while she got her Reflexology done he headed for a local pub, had a beer and watched AU beat Hungry in soccer. Then the we just headed back after that and relaxed for a bit. then went out to dinner at Gringo's a Mexican restaurant and they even split a liter of Margarita - what a party!!!
The next day the two headed to daily mass at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral which was really spectacular and a great old church. Then the two headed out on their Coffee and Chocolate tour. The tour entailed a group of 10 people and a guide walking around to 6 different chocolate and coffee shops. The group dwindled to 8 as two really really grumpy cadbury workers (as in the chocolate) wanted a refund but couldn't get it so came for a bit but then dropped out. We were much better off without them. The stops were great and the two had a lot of chocolate and coffee which was amazing. Dan even got the chance to have a chili thats right a chili hot chocolate at cocolate one of our stops. Dan and Farrell both liked it a lot and came with a nice kick at the end. All and all it was a great tour and a great way to see the city. We even ended at the Hilton Hotel with fruit fondue and wine. As people slowly left the lounge the only 4 people left were Dan and Farrell along with this New Zealand couple. Even though they were our parents age, they wanted to talk to us and finish another bottle of wine. We had some good conversations and then headed out on our way. What Dan and Farrell have learned when talking to people from other countries is that all and all everyone hates Bush, literally.
That most exciting point on this trip for Farrell has been when we got home that night and was flipping through the channels only to find FRIENDS on next!! Even though they had cut some stuff out Farrell still knew the exact lines and was like a little kid in a candy shop with her American shows.
Then the next morning we had to leave Adelaide which was really sad because we both really enjoyed it.
Now we have arrived in Perth and are staying at the Rendezvous hotel which is right on the water as well. Perth is on the west coast of Australia. We will be here for 4 days and then head out for Singapore where we will be for 5 days. Talk to you later.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Alice Springs, AU Days 1-4
Hey Everyone,
We just got back from our hiking trip and have already traveled to Adelaide in Australia. But first we want to tell you all about the camping trip.
We left Alice Springs at 6:25am on Sunday 6/15. We got onto a big bus with 4 other people and headed out on a 5hr drive to our first campsite. Our drivers name was Jerry (he talked a lot) and we were going with Judith and Joe (an Aussie couple), Tonie ( a student from England studying abroad) and Lylianna (an Aussie loner!). After our long drive we arrived and settled into our campsite. We had some pretty nice tents with a cot like bed. We unloaded the truck with all kinds of food and worked together to prepare lunch except for Lylianna, which will become a common theme through this blog. We had sandwiches and salad. After lunch we got back in the truck and headed out for about 30mins to the Olgas. 36 huge rocks in the Uluru National Park. it was a great site and a fun hike in. Lylianna ran ahead and got away from the group, but we had a fun time walking through.
Then we headed over to the sunset viewing site and got chairs and wine and watched the sunset on Ayers rock (aka Red Rock). Farrell and Dan didnt realize the hype everyone was talking about. It was definitely beautiful but everyone kept saying we would see this great change of color but it really just seemed like a nomral amazing sunset. We enjoyed our wine and the setting and after just got back on the truck and headed to camp for dinner or what the Aussies call Tea, which is really confusing and does not make sense.
We had steak and sausage around the camp fire which Dan was overly excited to put together. The dinner was good and we even had mulled wine. The English girl told us about this mulled wine that she has during the Christmas holiday so we decided to make it. It involved sticking a metal poker into the fire and then into your wine to get it to fizzle. In the cup was honey, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and an orange peel. We both really liked it and will hope to bring it back home to make together and all try.
We got to bed early since Jerry our leader was going to wake us up at 5am to get to Ayers rock for the sunrise. We were so bundled in our sleeping bags and wool blankets since it is winter here and the desert gets pretty cold at night. We got up, started another fire, had coffee and then got in the truck to head out for the sunrise. Farrell and Dan got a chance to ditch the group and took a 3hr walk together around the base of the rock. It was incredible to see the sunrise despite the cold weather. We got some amazing pictures that we hope to show all of you. We both really enjoyed the walk together and getting a chance to talk on our own instead of Jerry talking our ears off about Aussie facts. We both wanted to hike the actual rock but it was closed when we first got there because it was too windy. After our 3 hour walk the rock did open for climbing and a swarm of Japanese people booked it screaming to the start. they all had their little white gloves on and just attacked the mountain flying up. It was a pretty funny site. We couldn't hike it because we had to go back to camp, pack and head out on a 4hr drive to our next camp site.
We now arrived to King's Creek Canyon camp site. The tents were the same but the campsite was a little better. We cooked our dinner in cast iron pots on the ambers of the fire. Farrell even made an apple cake for the entire group in one of the pots, without a recipe. It was damn good too! It was a really cool way to make dinner and we all had a great time eating it too. After dinner our guide Jerry was obsessed to say the least about this Ranger slide show he wanted to get us too. Farrell and Dan both felt like they were back in lecture as this Ranger just went on and on about plants, animals and landscape of King's Canyon. Farrell continues to say it was an hour of her life that she wont get back, she even tried to read Harry Potter during it with a flashlight but it was pretty obvious so she stopped. Dan didn't mind so much but would have been happier at the fire.
The next morning the group headed out again at 5am this time to hike through King's Canyon. It was really a tremendous day. Only Dan, Farrell and Joe got to hike cause Judith and Lylianna decided to stay at the base because of health issues. The hike was really hard for Dan and Farrell but the view was incredible and the pictures came out great. It was a 3.5 hr hike but well worth it.
The two then just got on a coach bus and headed back to Alice Springs (a 7hr drive) while the rest of the group continued on to the next camp site since they were on the 5 day tour and we were on the 3 day tour.
All and all we had a great time camping. It was a great taste of Central Australia and really loved the experience. We can't wait to show all of you the pictures.
We arrived in Adelaide and are staying at the Oaks Pier Plaza. The place is really posh and Farrell is super excited about doing laundry...the washer and dryer are the same unit, in our room..it is pretty cool. We are definitely excited to explore Adelaide and we will get back to you in a few days with some of the details.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
We just got back from our hiking trip and have already traveled to Adelaide in Australia. But first we want to tell you all about the camping trip.
We left Alice Springs at 6:25am on Sunday 6/15. We got onto a big bus with 4 other people and headed out on a 5hr drive to our first campsite. Our drivers name was Jerry (he talked a lot) and we were going with Judith and Joe (an Aussie couple), Tonie ( a student from England studying abroad) and Lylianna (an Aussie loner!). After our long drive we arrived and settled into our campsite. We had some pretty nice tents with a cot like bed. We unloaded the truck with all kinds of food and worked together to prepare lunch except for Lylianna, which will become a common theme through this blog. We had sandwiches and salad. After lunch we got back in the truck and headed out for about 30mins to the Olgas. 36 huge rocks in the Uluru National Park. it was a great site and a fun hike in. Lylianna ran ahead and got away from the group, but we had a fun time walking through.
Then we headed over to the sunset viewing site and got chairs and wine and watched the sunset on Ayers rock (aka Red Rock). Farrell and Dan didnt realize the hype everyone was talking about. It was definitely beautiful but everyone kept saying we would see this great change of color but it really just seemed like a nomral amazing sunset. We enjoyed our wine and the setting and after just got back on the truck and headed to camp for dinner or what the Aussies call Tea, which is really confusing and does not make sense.
We had steak and sausage around the camp fire which Dan was overly excited to put together. The dinner was good and we even had mulled wine. The English girl told us about this mulled wine that she has during the Christmas holiday so we decided to make it. It involved sticking a metal poker into the fire and then into your wine to get it to fizzle. In the cup was honey, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and an orange peel. We both really liked it and will hope to bring it back home to make together and all try.
We got to bed early since Jerry our leader was going to wake us up at 5am to get to Ayers rock for the sunrise. We were so bundled in our sleeping bags and wool blankets since it is winter here and the desert gets pretty cold at night. We got up, started another fire, had coffee and then got in the truck to head out for the sunrise. Farrell and Dan got a chance to ditch the group and took a 3hr walk together around the base of the rock. It was incredible to see the sunrise despite the cold weather. We got some amazing pictures that we hope to show all of you. We both really enjoyed the walk together and getting a chance to talk on our own instead of Jerry talking our ears off about Aussie facts. We both wanted to hike the actual rock but it was closed when we first got there because it was too windy. After our 3 hour walk the rock did open for climbing and a swarm of Japanese people booked it screaming to the start. they all had their little white gloves on and just attacked the mountain flying up. It was a pretty funny site. We couldn't hike it because we had to go back to camp, pack and head out on a 4hr drive to our next camp site.
We now arrived to King's Creek Canyon camp site. The tents were the same but the campsite was a little better. We cooked our dinner in cast iron pots on the ambers of the fire. Farrell even made an apple cake for the entire group in one of the pots, without a recipe. It was damn good too! It was a really cool way to make dinner and we all had a great time eating it too. After dinner our guide Jerry was obsessed to say the least about this Ranger slide show he wanted to get us too. Farrell and Dan both felt like they were back in lecture as this Ranger just went on and on about plants, animals and landscape of King's Canyon. Farrell continues to say it was an hour of her life that she wont get back, she even tried to read Harry Potter during it with a flashlight but it was pretty obvious so she stopped. Dan didn't mind so much but would have been happier at the fire.
The next morning the group headed out again at 5am this time to hike through King's Canyon. It was really a tremendous day. Only Dan, Farrell and Joe got to hike cause Judith and Lylianna decided to stay at the base because of health issues. The hike was really hard for Dan and Farrell but the view was incredible and the pictures came out great. It was a 3.5 hr hike but well worth it.
The two then just got on a coach bus and headed back to Alice Springs (a 7hr drive) while the rest of the group continued on to the next camp site since they were on the 5 day tour and we were on the 3 day tour.
All and all we had a great time camping. It was a great taste of Central Australia and really loved the experience. We can't wait to show all of you the pictures.
We arrived in Adelaide and are staying at the Oaks Pier Plaza. The place is really posh and Farrell is super excited about doing laundry...the washer and dryer are the same unit, in our room..it is pretty cool. We are definitely excited to explore Adelaide and we will get back to you in a few days with some of the details.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Friday, June 13, 2008
Australia Day 1
Hey Everyone,
We have left New Zealand and have arrived safely to Australia. We are currently staying at the Toddy Backpackers resort in Alice Springs. We head out tomorrow (Sun for us) to go on a 3 day hiking trip by Red Rock!!!
Once we head back we stay one more night here and then get on plane to Adelaide Australia. We will check in with you guys when we get there and tell you all about the hiking trip. For now we just wanted to let you know that we are safe and doing well down under!!!
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
We have left New Zealand and have arrived safely to Australia. We are currently staying at the Toddy Backpackers resort in Alice Springs. We head out tomorrow (Sun for us) to go on a 3 day hiking trip by Red Rock!!!
Once we head back we stay one more night here and then get on plane to Adelaide Australia. We will check in with you guys when we get there and tell you all about the hiking trip. For now we just wanted to let you know that we are safe and doing well down under!!!
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Driving around New Zealand - Days 1-4
Hey guys,
So we need to back up a little and tell you about how Dan lost a lense to his glasses (oh NO!) . When we went whitewater rafting, there was a time when Farrell and Dan were able to get out of the raft and swim down the river. Dan happened to have his glasses on him for the trip and was holding them in his hand when swimming. Ok as they were floating, Farrell saw a BUG crawling up her shorts which caused her to flinch thus knocking Dan's lense out of his glasses and to the bottom of the Fiji river.
Now we are in New Zealand and it is our first morning. We wake up to go get the rental car from Hertz and drive South West to Rotorua. Since we are obviously not from NZ we were hoping that we could get a GPS from Hertz to help us best get around. Also in Fiji we talked to two Australians who said it was a must that we get one because in NZ they don't put up sign very well. So we walk into the Hertz store and start talking to the counter guy. He asks for our licenses and the conversation goes:
Guy: "Oh Boston...Go Red Sox...I from Japan!!! (Head nod) hahaha it was really funny
So the guy because he was Japanese was a red sox van and obviously loved Dice -K. So Dan told the guy that he loved him too and even had a Dice-K jersey. Then Dan asked if this would get us a discount on the car. No luck there.
As we checked out the car it turns out that Hertz's in fact did not have any GPS systems. So this guy goes "I give you map" and proceeds to hand us some hand maps.
Now Dan has no glasses, no GPS, and neither one of us has practice driving on the left side of the road - sounds like a great start to NZ. In addition the Hertz guy goes on to explain how insurance works in New Zealand and it pretty much left Dan and Farrell pretty confused. So even if you have insurance and get hit by someone that does not have insurance then you have to sue that person who does not have insurance in order to get your money. If you can not find them and are unable to sue them then you have to deal with it yourself. So we decided to buy the extended insurance policy and if anyone hit us no matter what we were in the clear.
Dan and Farrell get into there Ford Focus, and pull out of Hertz. As they approach there first right hand turn at the intersection, Dan blows a red light...bad move...which did not sit well with Farrell at all and the screaming match began. Dan couldn't see, we had only maps and Farrell hates the way Dan drives. They yelled back and forth about the light for about 3 mins and got it all out of their system. For the next 4 hours to Rotorua, it was a relatively quiet ride...yaya!
Our first adventure in Rotorua was ZORBING. A ZORB is a huge plastic ball that a human gets inside of and rolls down a big hill, just like hamsters do. Farrell and Dan signed up for the 3 trip package. One trip together and straight down. One trip alone and zig zag and then Dan was able to do a third trip where he was strapped in and went straight down. It turned out that because Farrell was not 5'2" she could not be tied in because her feet would not reach the straps .. :(. All of Farrell's trips had to have water in the ball. The two had a great time and got some awesome pictures. It was a cool rush rolling really fast down this hill inside of a ball with water and just falling all over the place.
After Zorbing Dan and Farrell got back into the car and headed to Hells Gate!!! This was a mud bath and spa place. As two entered the parking lot they pulled into a spot and there was a huge PEACOCK to greet them at their car. This huge peacock was smart. It got real close to the car and every time we tried to take a picture of it, it would duck and we couldnt get it but at the same time we could not get out of our car. For about 5-10 minutes the peacock was circling the car and not allowing us to get out. Finally the bird got out of our way and we were able to head into Hells gate. The two relaxed in a big mud bath followed by a soak in a hot water springs. The two were really enjoying the relaxation and the geothermal water was feeling so great on their skin.
The two left Hells Gate and were finally heading to the hostel for the night. We arrive at the location of the hostel to find a sign on the d0or informing us that the hostel has been closed and to go to a different address. We busted out the maps and made our way to this new hostel. Farrell wished she slept in the car because this place was so gross. We really wanted to shower the smell of the mineral water and mud off of us but were too scared of catching a disease in this shower. Needless to say we check out as early as possible and Farrell canceled the other two hostels that had been booked for the trip.
The two got in their car and headed to Waitomo for their Black water CAVING trip!! The drive was only about two and a half hours from Rotorua to Waitomo and they were able to pass through a small town on the way. The two made their way to the office of the caving trip. When they got there they were talking with the front desk and decided to change their trip from the 3 hour Labyrinth to the 5 hour Abysssss. The two went to their new hotel, dropped off their stuff and went back to the caving place for a bit to eat before their trip. They went to get suited up as "penguins" for the trip. The guide, Terry, explained that these wet suits were extremely important as the water is absolutely freezing. From the start Farrell was starting to complain since most of the wet suits were already wet (she didnt realize this was the only way to get them on). They were all suited up, got some pictures and got in a van to head to the cave entrance.
The first part of the trip is repelling down an hourglass like hole into the cave for about a minute and a half. We had a quick training session and were on our way. After repelling down, the group's next task was to zip line across a huge whole to a platform on the other side. Terry was really crazy and had us zip line in the complete dark since we had to all turn the lights on our helmets off. The cave is full with glow worms which is really cool. After the zip line then the group had to jump off a 20ft cliff, NO JOKE, with a tub on their butt into the freezing water. After we all made the jump, we headed in our tubes down the cave and stopped to hear a story about these glow worms. The story ended up ruining Farrell's childhood about glowworms (Farrell grew up with a toy glowworm which she still sleeps with). Basically these glow thingys are not actually worms, they are maggots. They don't even actually glow, it is only their poop the glows so basically every time Farrell squeezed her glowworm to glow when she was scared it was pooping!!!
It turned out that while we were in the cave someone on another trip had a seizure. So our other guide Parker (not Terry) who was not in a wet suit and was only helping us repel down had to jump in the water and help get this person out of the cave. A medical crew was down there too. As a side note after we finished out trip we ran into Parker again and he was wrapped in one of those blankets that you get when you finish a marathon because his body temperature was incredible low.
So the group had a great time making their way through the cave and chillin with the glowworms. It was incredible tiring but a tremendous experience. As we finished and came out of the cave, the guide terry told the group to go to the van but wanted Dan to stay back for a minute. Terry made it seem to Dan that they were going back in to get some stuff that was left by the medical team. Dan didn't really want to go back in but thought it was for a purpose. So he ended up climbing down some walls and up over some waterfalls. He was finally so exhausted and came out at the exact same spot the group had come out an hour earlier. He asked Terry what the point of that trip was and he said there was no point he just thought i would like it and seemed the most capable. Terry told Dan Farrell couldn't have come because she was too short for the climbing.
Dan and Farrell headed back to their hotel for the night. They got some snacks, and chilled in the room. they wanted to take a shower but had no hot water. Going on a few days now with no showers. They got up early the next morning and headed back to Auckland.
Back in Auckland they went to an eye glass place to get Dan's glasses fixed. they were able to do it on site and the glass they put in has a spot on it that they could not get out so they gave it to him for free and it is not in his field of vision. Basically i can see fine and got it for free.
We head to Australia tomorrow morning and will be hiking for 4 days. We wont be able to check in much but will hopefully post when we get to Adelaide in Australia.
We are sorry this is so long but we had to cover a lot and will explain more when we get back.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
So we need to back up a little and tell you about how Dan lost a lense to his glasses (oh NO!) . When we went whitewater rafting, there was a time when Farrell and Dan were able to get out of the raft and swim down the river. Dan happened to have his glasses on him for the trip and was holding them in his hand when swimming. Ok as they were floating, Farrell saw a BUG crawling up her shorts which caused her to flinch thus knocking Dan's lense out of his glasses and to the bottom of the Fiji river.
Now we are in New Zealand and it is our first morning. We wake up to go get the rental car from Hertz and drive South West to Rotorua. Since we are obviously not from NZ we were hoping that we could get a GPS from Hertz to help us best get around. Also in Fiji we talked to two Australians who said it was a must that we get one because in NZ they don't put up sign very well. So we walk into the Hertz store and start talking to the counter guy. He asks for our licenses and the conversation goes:
Guy: "Oh Boston...Go Red Sox...I from Japan!!! (Head nod) hahaha it was really funny
So the guy because he was Japanese was a red sox van and obviously loved Dice -K. So Dan told the guy that he loved him too and even had a Dice-K jersey. Then Dan asked if this would get us a discount on the car. No luck there.
As we checked out the car it turns out that Hertz's in fact did not have any GPS systems. So this guy goes "I give you map" and proceeds to hand us some hand maps.
Now Dan has no glasses, no GPS, and neither one of us has practice driving on the left side of the road - sounds like a great start to NZ. In addition the Hertz guy goes on to explain how insurance works in New Zealand and it pretty much left Dan and Farrell pretty confused. So even if you have insurance and get hit by someone that does not have insurance then you have to sue that person who does not have insurance in order to get your money. If you can not find them and are unable to sue them then you have to deal with it yourself. So we decided to buy the extended insurance policy and if anyone hit us no matter what we were in the clear.
Dan and Farrell get into there Ford Focus, and pull out of Hertz. As they approach there first right hand turn at the intersection, Dan blows a red light...bad move...which did not sit well with Farrell at all and the screaming match began. Dan couldn't see, we had only maps and Farrell hates the way Dan drives. They yelled back and forth about the light for about 3 mins and got it all out of their system. For the next 4 hours to Rotorua, it was a relatively quiet ride...yaya!
Our first adventure in Rotorua was ZORBING. A ZORB is a huge plastic ball that a human gets inside of and rolls down a big hill, just like hamsters do. Farrell and Dan signed up for the 3 trip package. One trip together and straight down. One trip alone and zig zag and then Dan was able to do a third trip where he was strapped in and went straight down. It turned out that because Farrell was not 5'2" she could not be tied in because her feet would not reach the straps .. :(. All of Farrell's trips had to have water in the ball. The two had a great time and got some awesome pictures. It was a cool rush rolling really fast down this hill inside of a ball with water and just falling all over the place.
After Zorbing Dan and Farrell got back into the car and headed to Hells Gate!!! This was a mud bath and spa place. As two entered the parking lot they pulled into a spot and there was a huge PEACOCK to greet them at their car. This huge peacock was smart. It got real close to the car and every time we tried to take a picture of it, it would duck and we couldnt get it but at the same time we could not get out of our car. For about 5-10 minutes the peacock was circling the car and not allowing us to get out. Finally the bird got out of our way and we were able to head into Hells gate. The two relaxed in a big mud bath followed by a soak in a hot water springs. The two were really enjoying the relaxation and the geothermal water was feeling so great on their skin.
The two left Hells Gate and were finally heading to the hostel for the night. We arrive at the location of the hostel to find a sign on the d0or informing us that the hostel has been closed and to go to a different address. We busted out the maps and made our way to this new hostel. Farrell wished she slept in the car because this place was so gross. We really wanted to shower the smell of the mineral water and mud off of us but were too scared of catching a disease in this shower. Needless to say we check out as early as possible and Farrell canceled the other two hostels that had been booked for the trip.
The two got in their car and headed to Waitomo for their Black water CAVING trip!! The drive was only about two and a half hours from Rotorua to Waitomo and they were able to pass through a small town on the way. The two made their way to the office of the caving trip. When they got there they were talking with the front desk and decided to change their trip from the 3 hour Labyrinth to the 5 hour Abysssss. The two went to their new hotel, dropped off their stuff and went back to the caving place for a bit to eat before their trip. They went to get suited up as "penguins" for the trip. The guide, Terry, explained that these wet suits were extremely important as the water is absolutely freezing. From the start Farrell was starting to complain since most of the wet suits were already wet (she didnt realize this was the only way to get them on). They were all suited up, got some pictures and got in a van to head to the cave entrance.
The first part of the trip is repelling down an hourglass like hole into the cave for about a minute and a half. We had a quick training session and were on our way. After repelling down, the group's next task was to zip line across a huge whole to a platform on the other side. Terry was really crazy and had us zip line in the complete dark since we had to all turn the lights on our helmets off. The cave is full with glow worms which is really cool. After the zip line then the group had to jump off a 20ft cliff, NO JOKE, with a tub on their butt into the freezing water. After we all made the jump, we headed in our tubes down the cave and stopped to hear a story about these glow worms. The story ended up ruining Farrell's childhood about glowworms (Farrell grew up with a toy glowworm which she still sleeps with). Basically these glow thingys are not actually worms, they are maggots. They don't even actually glow, it is only their poop the glows so basically every time Farrell squeezed her glowworm to glow when she was scared it was pooping!!!
It turned out that while we were in the cave someone on another trip had a seizure. So our other guide Parker (not Terry) who was not in a wet suit and was only helping us repel down had to jump in the water and help get this person out of the cave. A medical crew was down there too. As a side note after we finished out trip we ran into Parker again and he was wrapped in one of those blankets that you get when you finish a marathon because his body temperature was incredible low.
So the group had a great time making their way through the cave and chillin with the glowworms. It was incredible tiring but a tremendous experience. As we finished and came out of the cave, the guide terry told the group to go to the van but wanted Dan to stay back for a minute. Terry made it seem to Dan that they were going back in to get some stuff that was left by the medical team. Dan didn't really want to go back in but thought it was for a purpose. So he ended up climbing down some walls and up over some waterfalls. He was finally so exhausted and came out at the exact same spot the group had come out an hour earlier. He asked Terry what the point of that trip was and he said there was no point he just thought i would like it and seemed the most capable. Terry told Dan Farrell couldn't have come because she was too short for the climbing.
Dan and Farrell headed back to their hotel for the night. They got some snacks, and chilled in the room. they wanted to take a shower but had no hot water. Going on a few days now with no showers. They got up early the next morning and headed back to Auckland.
Back in Auckland they went to an eye glass place to get Dan's glasses fixed. they were able to do it on site and the glass they put in has a spot on it that they could not get out so they gave it to him for free and it is not in his field of vision. Basically i can see fine and got it for free.
We head to Australia tomorrow morning and will be hiking for 4 days. We wont be able to check in much but will hopefully post when we get to Adelaide in Australia.
We are sorry this is so long but we had to cover a lot and will explain more when we get back.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Monday, June 9, 2008
New Zealand
Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to let you all know that we have arrived safe and sound in New Zealand. We had a 2oclock flight out of Fiji and arrived in New Zealand at 5pm. It was sad to say goodbye to Fiji but we are really pumped for New Zealand. it is nice to get out of Fiji time (which just means it is ok to be slow and late) and into a city with a nice hotel.
We had to Rotorua tomorrow and then over to Waitomo for two nights as well. we most likely will not have compture access at these places but we come back to Auckland on our last day in New Zealand. Then we will post about our caving, Zorb, and mud baths!!!!
We are safe and well.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Just wanted to let you all know that we have arrived safe and sound in New Zealand. We had a 2oclock flight out of Fiji and arrived in New Zealand at 5pm. It was sad to say goodbye to Fiji but we are really pumped for New Zealand. it is nice to get out of Fiji time (which just means it is ok to be slow and late) and into a city with a nice hotel.
We had to Rotorua tomorrow and then over to Waitomo for two nights as well. we most likely will not have compture access at these places but we come back to Auckland on our last day in New Zealand. Then we will post about our caving, Zorb, and mud baths!!!!
We are safe and well.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Day 4 and 5 Fiji
Hey Everyone,
We have a few other comments we wanted to write but forgot last time. One of the funniest parts of the whitewater rafting trip was actually on the bus ride down the mountain. So as we got onto the van to go home Farrell was doing a little dance in her seat. Dan was asking her what was going on and she said that her butt was really itchy. We knew before from whitewater rafting that if you are on a raft for too long you can develop a rash and it really itches. It is referred to as raft ass. So anyway Farrell is like going crazy in her seat and cant really take it anymore. Dan is just laughing so incredible hard because it was just so hilarious to him. Farrell asked how to get rid of it and he said that there was probably some cream for her raft ass. Well that made her decide to put some suntan lotion on the rash and whether it was mind over matter or it really worked the itching started to go away. Farrell was relieved but Dan could not stop laughing for most of the ride. Ya just had to be there.
Another funny thing... We are on the van ride home with the Indian family, and we get to talking to some of the people in the van. We discover that the couple sitting behind us is from Australia, even better from Adelaide (one of our stops in Australia) so we were asking them of things to do and the woman asked us if we liked Wines and Dan (who has been struggling to understand anyone who has an accent) replies "Ya we love Wands". Farrell corrected him and said to the lady yes we like wines and then Dan said, Oh i thought she was talking about Harry Potter...maybe you had to be there but it was really funny.
Day 4
Today Farrell woke up with some of the biggest bug bites possible, and Dan has none, but Farrell is complaining enough for the both of them so it all works out in the long run. But seriously, these bites are the size of quarters and they have begun to puss and ooze...its really sexy.
For this day we just decided to spend it at the hotel. This time we got up a little early so we could get some of the good chairs and get out by the sun. The weather for the day was incrediable, there was not a cloud in the sky. The temperatures here get pretty hot we think it was like in the high 80's. We had a nice day relaxing, reading, and taking in the sun. We booked another trip to the South Sea island too so that we could spend our last day there becuase we really liked it. This day was pretty basic, we even were so exhausted from the sun that when we lied down in the bed before dinner we ended up sleeping for the rest of the night.
Day 5
Farrell's bug bites this morning have increased in size and number. They are not looking good but we thought if we got them into the water they might dry up a bit. We are also a little sore from the whitewater rafting. We woke up to catch the 7:15am bus over to the port to get on the ferry over to the South Sea Island. We have visited this island on Thursday and had a really great time. This time was even better because the weather was just amazing. We got ferried into the island, got some great chairs and had an awesome day. Because we did not get a chance to go snorkling as much as we would have liked last time we decided to do that first. We got our gear and took to the water. We saw some really great fish and here in Fiji they have blue star fish. Farrell really wanted to take them out of the water but we were told specifically not to do that. We had some fun with the snorkling and ended up spending a lot of the day in the water becuase it was so hot. There were no clouds and the water was perfect. The sun was setting as we took the ferry back to the port and it was a great ending to a awesome stay in Fiji.
Just real quick, we got back to our place and have been struggling to get any hot water in our shower the past few days. Farrell took the first shower and everything seemed fine. Dan hopped in to take his shower and got a little frustrated with the lack of pressure and temperature....he happened to break off the handle...oops. Now the shower will not stop dripping.
We head out to New Zealand tomorrow as we have a 2 oclock flight and will arrive at 5pm. We are not sure if our hotel will have a computer or not so if it does not then you might not hear from us for a bit but we will be doing well and safe in New Zealand. Check in for new posts.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
We have a few other comments we wanted to write but forgot last time. One of the funniest parts of the whitewater rafting trip was actually on the bus ride down the mountain. So as we got onto the van to go home Farrell was doing a little dance in her seat. Dan was asking her what was going on and she said that her butt was really itchy. We knew before from whitewater rafting that if you are on a raft for too long you can develop a rash and it really itches. It is referred to as raft ass. So anyway Farrell is like going crazy in her seat and cant really take it anymore. Dan is just laughing so incredible hard because it was just so hilarious to him. Farrell asked how to get rid of it and he said that there was probably some cream for her raft ass. Well that made her decide to put some suntan lotion on the rash and whether it was mind over matter or it really worked the itching started to go away. Farrell was relieved but Dan could not stop laughing for most of the ride. Ya just had to be there.
Another funny thing... We are on the van ride home with the Indian family, and we get to talking to some of the people in the van. We discover that the couple sitting behind us is from Australia, even better from Adelaide (one of our stops in Australia) so we were asking them of things to do and the woman asked us if we liked Wines and Dan (who has been struggling to understand anyone who has an accent) replies "Ya we love Wands". Farrell corrected him and said to the lady yes we like wines and then Dan said, Oh i thought she was talking about Harry Potter...maybe you had to be there but it was really funny.
Day 4
Today Farrell woke up with some of the biggest bug bites possible, and Dan has none, but Farrell is complaining enough for the both of them so it all works out in the long run. But seriously, these bites are the size of quarters and they have begun to puss and ooze...its really sexy.
For this day we just decided to spend it at the hotel. This time we got up a little early so we could get some of the good chairs and get out by the sun. The weather for the day was incrediable, there was not a cloud in the sky. The temperatures here get pretty hot we think it was like in the high 80's. We had a nice day relaxing, reading, and taking in the sun. We booked another trip to the South Sea island too so that we could spend our last day there becuase we really liked it. This day was pretty basic, we even were so exhausted from the sun that when we lied down in the bed before dinner we ended up sleeping for the rest of the night.
Day 5
Farrell's bug bites this morning have increased in size and number. They are not looking good but we thought if we got them into the water they might dry up a bit. We are also a little sore from the whitewater rafting. We woke up to catch the 7:15am bus over to the port to get on the ferry over to the South Sea Island. We have visited this island on Thursday and had a really great time. This time was even better because the weather was just amazing. We got ferried into the island, got some great chairs and had an awesome day. Because we did not get a chance to go snorkling as much as we would have liked last time we decided to do that first. We got our gear and took to the water. We saw some really great fish and here in Fiji they have blue star fish. Farrell really wanted to take them out of the water but we were told specifically not to do that. We had some fun with the snorkling and ended up spending a lot of the day in the water becuase it was so hot. There were no clouds and the water was perfect. The sun was setting as we took the ferry back to the port and it was a great ending to a awesome stay in Fiji.
Just real quick, we got back to our place and have been struggling to get any hot water in our shower the past few days. Farrell took the first shower and everything seemed fine. Dan hopped in to take his shower and got a little frustrated with the lack of pressure and temperature....he happened to break off the handle...oops. Now the shower will not stop dripping.
We head out to New Zealand tomorrow as we have a 2 oclock flight and will arrive at 5pm. We are not sure if our hotel will have a computer or not so if it does not then you might not hear from us for a bit but we will be doing well and safe in New Zealand. Check in for new posts.
Lots of Love,
Farrell and Dan
Friday, June 6, 2008
Days 1,2, and 3 in FIJI
Hey Everyone,
Day 1
So when you think about Fiji, one usualy imagines walking out the back of their hotel onto a beautiful white beach and amazing blue green water on a sunny day. We walked into our hotel, out the back door, onto some dirt, followed by a wet clay type of sand and looked hopefully into some dark murkey water, only to get bitten by a crab. We walked back into the hotel and booked the next day at one of those islands you would imagine Fiji to be like. But we made the most of our first day. We started the morning off with a nice breakfast which we needed after those long flights. Then we got our day started and walked along the clay sand, had a balancing contest (which Dan won despite years of Ballet training), layed in a hammock (which almost flipped over) and caught up on some reading. All in all, it was a really nice day since falling asleep in a hammock is pretty sweet.
Day 2
We woke up early ( everyone in Fiji does) had breakfast, and then jumped on the 7:15 bus which would take us to the nearest port. We boarded the boat and were off by 9am to the South Sea Island. We arrived only a short half hour later and it was so amazing. This island is the smallest of the Fiji islands and consists of a white sandy beach covered with coral. The ocean was a blue/green and as clear as can be, it was such a cool place to go snorkling. It seemed like a picture perfect place and with all the mountains in the distance it made it seem like we were on a deserted island, which was really cool. There were tons of lounge chairs to relax with. We started our morning off by having a quick swim, and then headed to the chairs for some reading/ tanning. There was an open bar which was really nice and the Fiji stubbies (the local beer) is pretty good too. We then had lunch and more R&R, it felt like our own personal island which is what we had been looking for. We wanted to go snorkling after lunch, but when we looked out to the ocean the waves had really picked up and the tide moved out, but that didnt stop us! So we grabbed some snorkling gear and headed into the water, which turned out to be a bad idea. This island has a lot of coral, and coral is sharp and hurts when you swim in it. We got pretty beat up with some cuts and bruises. Since the waves were so strong we did not get to see that much in the water. But that did not bother us, we just went back to our seats and chilled a little more. Shortly after that we took a walk around the island and found a hammock, so we layed in that for a while, and then it started to get cold. Then it started to rain, then it was time to leave the island, and here is where the funny stuff happens. So... the way these islands work is there is one ship that makes a loop to all the islands three times a day, our island is the first to get dropped off in the morning and the last to be picked up at night. Also, you need two little boats to get the people from the big ship to the island and then back to the big ship. Well all 60 people got onto the two small boats and heading to the big boat, upon arrival the guy who helps you onto the big boat said it could only take 22 people! Dan and Farrell snapped into Bostonian mode and pushed our way onto that boat, there was no way we were heading back to the island with all the rain! As the small boat was departing with all the people Dan realized that our load seemed lighter, and then we realized that Farrell left our towels on the little boat, we got them right as the small boat was leaving, it was classic. We made our way back to the port and got onto the bus that was taking us home. It turned out that we had to actually wait for those people that went back to the island in the small boat but we got to sleep a little in the bus waiting for them. We went right home and straight to sleep since our next day was to start early and be challenging.
Day 3
WHITE WATER RAFTING IN THE FIJI RAINFOREST!!!!!
We woke up at 4am, (which isnt that bad considering we go to bed at 8pm every night) got in a van picked up some other people staying at different hotels and drove for 2 hours, only to be dropped off at the bottom of a mountain to get in another more off road van to drive another hour. We got in this off road van with 12 other people and went for a steep and slipper ride up the moutain. The locals who take us down the river were in the van with us as we went up. They were a funny group of guys and said that if the van were to get stuck in this mud that it was the Americans who would have to push (Dan made the comment that that was becuase Americans are so strong, hahah). So the pictures will show how crazy this drive up the mountain was but for now you will just have to take our word for it. When we finally got to where the van was letting us off, we packed the stuff that we were going to take into the raft into a water proof bag, got our helmets, life vests, and paddles. Then we were heading out on a 20 min trek through this muddy jungle to get to where we can get inside the boats. Here the tour guides did not come with us becuase they had to deliver the rafts to where we were going. Farrell was a champ as she conquered this trek and was the first to arrive at the site while everyone else trailed behind. She didnt even care about all the mud over her legs. She was rocking her bandana with spunk. So we get to the loading site and we have a safety lesson. Since Dan and Farrell had gone whitewater rafting in Maine they knew a lot of what was said but it was good to hear it Fijian style. So they stick us in a boat with two Swedish people, whose names where Andreas and Morion (but really we had no idea what to call them). They were much better than DS and potato stealer (to you nick and ray) but the entire time we just wished we had our team of Nick and Ray in our boat with us. The Swedish people are just not good at paddling. Our personal boat guide was Joe II and he was jacked which was good. He told us amazing stories about growing up in his village which was in this rainforest and how he would go wild boar hunting. Dan asked him a milion questions about this becuase it just seemed so crazy but Joe was not joking. He said it was very very important to run fast and be able to climb up trees. He also told us that guns are illegal in Fiji except for cops so they had to get the boars with just their machettes. We worked as a team with the Sweds and were a great boat. But the best part was just going down the river. It is realy hard to describe how amazng it was. As we went down the river on both sides of us where just giant rock walls with rainforest on top. It was out of control, like out of movie, whichi is funny cause it is where they filmed Anaconda 1 and 2. The waterfalls that just flowed from these high rock walls into the river were breath taking. We got some really good pictures and just had an amazing time tackling the rapids and taking in the beautiful rainforest. Halfway through we stopped and had a good lunch. We were all so hungry from all the paddling that we did the food just tasted so good and it was only turkey and ham sandwhiches. The rafting trip was just so cool. It was just such a once and a lifetime experience and something we will never forget.
The ride home however was not so beautiful. So we were so tired and just wanted to get back to our resort, have dinner, write on the blog and go to bed. However, we wish it was only that easy. Our driver had to pull over because it was getting dark and he realized that this van did not have workable headlights. So we pulled over and he tried to fix it. Well it turns out that he couldnt and he had to get his boss (who was indian) to come get us in a different van. Well it got longer and longer since this took quite awhile. But we finally get into this new van which was filled with his indian family. It seemed like we were stuffed into the back of a van that was about to jump the border. it turned out that we actually had too many people in the van and as we approached a fiji police check point the grandfather, wife, and son jumped out of the van. We drove through the checkpoint and then they jumped back in. it was really really funny.
we finally got home had dinner and are about to get to bed. We had such a great day and Fiji is awesome.
Lots of love,
Farrell and Dan!!!
Day 1
So when you think about Fiji, one usualy imagines walking out the back of their hotel onto a beautiful white beach and amazing blue green water on a sunny day. We walked into our hotel, out the back door, onto some dirt, followed by a wet clay type of sand and looked hopefully into some dark murkey water, only to get bitten by a crab. We walked back into the hotel and booked the next day at one of those islands you would imagine Fiji to be like. But we made the most of our first day. We started the morning off with a nice breakfast which we needed after those long flights. Then we got our day started and walked along the clay sand, had a balancing contest (which Dan won despite years of Ballet training), layed in a hammock (which almost flipped over) and caught up on some reading. All in all, it was a really nice day since falling asleep in a hammock is pretty sweet.
Day 2
We woke up early ( everyone in Fiji does) had breakfast, and then jumped on the 7:15 bus which would take us to the nearest port. We boarded the boat and were off by 9am to the South Sea Island. We arrived only a short half hour later and it was so amazing. This island is the smallest of the Fiji islands and consists of a white sandy beach covered with coral. The ocean was a blue/green and as clear as can be, it was such a cool place to go snorkling. It seemed like a picture perfect place and with all the mountains in the distance it made it seem like we were on a deserted island, which was really cool. There were tons of lounge chairs to relax with. We started our morning off by having a quick swim, and then headed to the chairs for some reading/ tanning. There was an open bar which was really nice and the Fiji stubbies (the local beer) is pretty good too. We then had lunch and more R&R, it felt like our own personal island which is what we had been looking for. We wanted to go snorkling after lunch, but when we looked out to the ocean the waves had really picked up and the tide moved out, but that didnt stop us! So we grabbed some snorkling gear and headed into the water, which turned out to be a bad idea. This island has a lot of coral, and coral is sharp and hurts when you swim in it. We got pretty beat up with some cuts and bruises. Since the waves were so strong we did not get to see that much in the water. But that did not bother us, we just went back to our seats and chilled a little more. Shortly after that we took a walk around the island and found a hammock, so we layed in that for a while, and then it started to get cold. Then it started to rain, then it was time to leave the island, and here is where the funny stuff happens. So... the way these islands work is there is one ship that makes a loop to all the islands three times a day, our island is the first to get dropped off in the morning and the last to be picked up at night. Also, you need two little boats to get the people from the big ship to the island and then back to the big ship. Well all 60 people got onto the two small boats and heading to the big boat, upon arrival the guy who helps you onto the big boat said it could only take 22 people! Dan and Farrell snapped into Bostonian mode and pushed our way onto that boat, there was no way we were heading back to the island with all the rain! As the small boat was departing with all the people Dan realized that our load seemed lighter, and then we realized that Farrell left our towels on the little boat, we got them right as the small boat was leaving, it was classic. We made our way back to the port and got onto the bus that was taking us home. It turned out that we had to actually wait for those people that went back to the island in the small boat but we got to sleep a little in the bus waiting for them. We went right home and straight to sleep since our next day was to start early and be challenging.
Day 3
WHITE WATER RAFTING IN THE FIJI RAINFOREST!!!!!
We woke up at 4am, (which isnt that bad considering we go to bed at 8pm every night) got in a van picked up some other people staying at different hotels and drove for 2 hours, only to be dropped off at the bottom of a mountain to get in another more off road van to drive another hour. We got in this off road van with 12 other people and went for a steep and slipper ride up the moutain. The locals who take us down the river were in the van with us as we went up. They were a funny group of guys and said that if the van were to get stuck in this mud that it was the Americans who would have to push (Dan made the comment that that was becuase Americans are so strong, hahah). So the pictures will show how crazy this drive up the mountain was but for now you will just have to take our word for it. When we finally got to where the van was letting us off, we packed the stuff that we were going to take into the raft into a water proof bag, got our helmets, life vests, and paddles. Then we were heading out on a 20 min trek through this muddy jungle to get to where we can get inside the boats. Here the tour guides did not come with us becuase they had to deliver the rafts to where we were going. Farrell was a champ as she conquered this trek and was the first to arrive at the site while everyone else trailed behind. She didnt even care about all the mud over her legs. She was rocking her bandana with spunk. So we get to the loading site and we have a safety lesson. Since Dan and Farrell had gone whitewater rafting in Maine they knew a lot of what was said but it was good to hear it Fijian style. So they stick us in a boat with two Swedish people, whose names where Andreas and Morion (but really we had no idea what to call them). They were much better than DS and potato stealer (to you nick and ray) but the entire time we just wished we had our team of Nick and Ray in our boat with us. The Swedish people are just not good at paddling. Our personal boat guide was Joe II and he was jacked which was good. He told us amazing stories about growing up in his village which was in this rainforest and how he would go wild boar hunting. Dan asked him a milion questions about this becuase it just seemed so crazy but Joe was not joking. He said it was very very important to run fast and be able to climb up trees. He also told us that guns are illegal in Fiji except for cops so they had to get the boars with just their machettes. We worked as a team with the Sweds and were a great boat. But the best part was just going down the river. It is realy hard to describe how amazng it was. As we went down the river on both sides of us where just giant rock walls with rainforest on top. It was out of control, like out of movie, whichi is funny cause it is where they filmed Anaconda 1 and 2. The waterfalls that just flowed from these high rock walls into the river were breath taking. We got some really good pictures and just had an amazing time tackling the rapids and taking in the beautiful rainforest. Halfway through we stopped and had a good lunch. We were all so hungry from all the paddling that we did the food just tasted so good and it was only turkey and ham sandwhiches. The rafting trip was just so cool. It was just such a once and a lifetime experience and something we will never forget.
The ride home however was not so beautiful. So we were so tired and just wanted to get back to our resort, have dinner, write on the blog and go to bed. However, we wish it was only that easy. Our driver had to pull over because it was getting dark and he realized that this van did not have workable headlights. So we pulled over and he tried to fix it. Well it turns out that he couldnt and he had to get his boss (who was indian) to come get us in a different van. Well it got longer and longer since this took quite awhile. But we finally get into this new van which was filled with his indian family. It seemed like we were stuffed into the back of a van that was about to jump the border. it turned out that we actually had too many people in the van and as we approached a fiji police check point the grandfather, wife, and son jumped out of the van. We drove through the checkpoint and then they jumped back in. it was really really funny.
we finally got home had dinner and are about to get to bed. We had such a great day and Fiji is awesome.
Lots of love,
Farrell and Dan!!!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
WE ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Everyone!!!
We made it to Fiji!! It took a long time and was a little shaky but we got here with little to no problems. We survived the first 6 hour flight to LA (which was pretty rough and Farrell had to get out the barf bag, there was a thunder storm over Oklahoma), then we had a 9 hour layover in LAX, where we got to call home and check in but had to sit in the only terminal that was not finished!! It reminded us of the movie terminal that we watched as freshmen (Jess..josh...) Then we had a 10 hour flight to Fiji and it was not bad at all. We were seated in a row of 4 and we were the only two in it, therefore we got to sleep on two seats which was nice. Also we got to watch Mad Money and National Treausure 2! During that long flight however, Farrell realized that Dan was really starting to smell, since it was almost a day and a half with the same deodorant application and it is only the beggining of the trip. We are both definitely looking forward to our first showers. We are staying at Smugglers Cove and they came and picked us up at the airport. It is now 6:30am on 6/4 in Fiji and we have a little while to wait before our room is ready!! The place looks pretty good so far. They have a bunch of computers with internet that we can get onto and talk to everyone. We hope to just relax on the beaches and catch some sun before we start hiking and caving in NZ and Australia. Farrell is still working on convincing Dan to go skydiving in Fiji but the efforts are not getting too far.
Thanks for checking in and reading the blog. We will keep your posted over the next few days.
Lots of love from FIJI,
Farrell and Dan
We made it to Fiji!! It took a long time and was a little shaky but we got here with little to no problems. We survived the first 6 hour flight to LA (which was pretty rough and Farrell had to get out the barf bag, there was a thunder storm over Oklahoma), then we had a 9 hour layover in LAX, where we got to call home and check in but had to sit in the only terminal that was not finished!! It reminded us of the movie terminal that we watched as freshmen (Jess..josh...) Then we had a 10 hour flight to Fiji and it was not bad at all. We were seated in a row of 4 and we were the only two in it, therefore we got to sleep on two seats which was nice. Also we got to watch Mad Money and National Treausure 2! During that long flight however, Farrell realized that Dan was really starting to smell, since it was almost a day and a half with the same deodorant application and it is only the beggining of the trip. We are both definitely looking forward to our first showers. We are staying at Smugglers Cove and they came and picked us up at the airport. It is now 6:30am on 6/4 in Fiji and we have a little while to wait before our room is ready!! The place looks pretty good so far. They have a bunch of computers with internet that we can get onto and talk to everyone. We hope to just relax on the beaches and catch some sun before we start hiking and caving in NZ and Australia. Farrell is still working on convincing Dan to go skydiving in Fiji but the efforts are not getting too far.
Thanks for checking in and reading the blog. We will keep your posted over the next few days.
Lots of love from FIJI,
Farrell and Dan
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