Hey Everyone, just writing a quick update here.
We were able to find a nice, fairly quiet beach around, with not too many annoying tourists! The added bonus is seeing dolphins jumping off in the distance. Then the tourist boats go to see them and they disappear. It's a nice little addition to the ocean view though. Today was my first attempt at scooter driving. I didn't hit any cows or people, came close to some walls (David you can probably still remember my attempt at your scooter...) so a good day all in all. It's a bit difficult since they drive on the other side of the road, so I'm still a bit worried about my instinct reaction while driving. I'll get it though. Our treat today was a real coffee shop. With real coffee. What a treat! While yes we're able to miss the deep freeze, we're also missing our Timmy's and not so excited about that.
We've been hanging out with our 4 other neighbours at the place we're staying. We've formed "The Blue Nest Gang" named after where we're staying. maybe we'll get some T-shirts! Ben is loving all the people walking by our terrace that he can chit chat with!
Merry Christmas to everyone, enjoy being loved!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Don't hate us!
sorry for those of you in freezer like conditions that might be reading this...we had a fabulous beach day today, hot and not a cloud in the sky, other than overall pollution haze of course. now with Goa (we're actually in the area Anjuna) being touristy sometimes it feels like you're in Mexico/Cuba or any other great beach spot. Although when the cow comes by to share your shade with you, that's when you know you're in India. At least the cow only shared shade with us, one person it licked, the other it almost pooped on. We faired well! It's getting busier now with tourists for christmas, we're going to head for dinner here soon with another couple travelling the world for a year and a british hippie/yoggie. should be great!
stay warm and don't get the frost bite. when we think it's too hot, we think of home.
stay warm and don't get the frost bite. when we think it's too hot, we think of home.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Oh India...
So time to catch up...
we left Kenya Dec 9 after a great month with great friends. a definite highlight would be a fabulous safari with great traditions of sundowners which you enjoy the sunset and wine with good people. Hard to top. It was hard to leave at this point as up to now it's been a really fun vacation hanging out with friends, not too scary at all. Thanks to Kari, Marty, Angie and Bryan for being great hosts, for great memories, and lots of laughs!
So after flying for part of the night we land in Mumbai on a not much sleep at all. our plan was to get our of there as soon as possible, which was a good plan. There was a lot to take in just from the view of the taxi. People sleep on the pavement next to the roads as we drive by them. And oh the smell, wow! not sure how to describe that, but you can use your imagination. the worst bathroom smell X100-not all the time though,but definitely in spots. So we got to the train station. We have 2-3year old children looking up with the big eyes asking for money, we have women holding their children asking for money, everywhere, people asking something from us. Definitely overwhelming with new things that we just don't see in Calgary nor would it be acceptable. Unfortunately it's acceptable and common here. Still not really sure how to make sense of all that...
so after a 4 hour wait in a train station we board a train for the next 10 hours. It's hot! we share this space with six people. It's noisy, there's people selling things and yelling down the aisle the entire time as well as people still asking for money from you, your skin sticks to the plastic and we're trying to sleep with our bags under our heads...10 hours! Definitely a experience, I think the next time we train I'll have to supress my Thompson cheap gene and spring for the less crowded ac part! We did have some interesting conversation with our train mates though, we got advice on our life, we should be responsible, own a house and have children already...we're already old! Maybe one day! So on this train the one thing that doesn't get yelled down the aisle is what stop it is. there are signs but these you don't see until you're pulling out of a station in the day light. So we took the advice of our train mates with our stop. it had already been 10 hours which was the time we were expecting it to take. Yeah, well we got off at the wrong stop, probabably and hour early. Good thing though we didn't have any place we had to be. It just meant a little delay before we hit the beach. We're currently in Goa, sort of SW India. we got to our destination yesterday, all the hostels are X3 upping their rent for the Christmas season so we spent yesterday trying to find a place that isn't going to rip us off, and we did. So we're here until Jan 3. We'll use this place here as our base. we rented a scooter for the time we're here so we can go and explore India with the wind in our hair! Well more my hair then Ben's! I'm getting the look from Ben here!
So now that we're here, it's 34C, humid and we, well more me, smell! Good thing is everything else smells too, good I guess... Food is great yet a bit spicy for this Calgary girl but I'm sure I'll get used to it. We are about 1 km to a rocky beach, we enjoyed a sundowner yesterday watching the sun through a haze of pollution, still beautiful in its own way though.
I guess that brings us up to date. Time to go scoot!
we left Kenya Dec 9 after a great month with great friends. a definite highlight would be a fabulous safari with great traditions of sundowners which you enjoy the sunset and wine with good people. Hard to top. It was hard to leave at this point as up to now it's been a really fun vacation hanging out with friends, not too scary at all. Thanks to Kari, Marty, Angie and Bryan for being great hosts, for great memories, and lots of laughs!
So after flying for part of the night we land in Mumbai on a not much sleep at all. our plan was to get our of there as soon as possible, which was a good plan. There was a lot to take in just from the view of the taxi. People sleep on the pavement next to the roads as we drive by them. And oh the smell, wow! not sure how to describe that, but you can use your imagination. the worst bathroom smell X100-not all the time though,but definitely in spots. So we got to the train station. We have 2-3year old children looking up with the big eyes asking for money, we have women holding their children asking for money, everywhere, people asking something from us. Definitely overwhelming with new things that we just don't see in Calgary nor would it be acceptable. Unfortunately it's acceptable and common here. Still not really sure how to make sense of all that...
so after a 4 hour wait in a train station we board a train for the next 10 hours. It's hot! we share this space with six people. It's noisy, there's people selling things and yelling down the aisle the entire time as well as people still asking for money from you, your skin sticks to the plastic and we're trying to sleep with our bags under our heads...10 hours! Definitely a experience, I think the next time we train I'll have to supress my Thompson cheap gene and spring for the less crowded ac part! We did have some interesting conversation with our train mates though, we got advice on our life, we should be responsible, own a house and have children already...we're already old! Maybe one day! So on this train the one thing that doesn't get yelled down the aisle is what stop it is. there are signs but these you don't see until you're pulling out of a station in the day light. So we took the advice of our train mates with our stop. it had already been 10 hours which was the time we were expecting it to take. Yeah, well we got off at the wrong stop, probabably and hour early. Good thing though we didn't have any place we had to be. It just meant a little delay before we hit the beach. We're currently in Goa, sort of SW India. we got to our destination yesterday, all the hostels are X3 upping their rent for the Christmas season so we spent yesterday trying to find a place that isn't going to rip us off, and we did. So we're here until Jan 3. We'll use this place here as our base. we rented a scooter for the time we're here so we can go and explore India with the wind in our hair! Well more my hair then Ben's! I'm getting the look from Ben here!
So now that we're here, it's 34C, humid and we, well more me, smell! Good thing is everything else smells too, good I guess... Food is great yet a bit spicy for this Calgary girl but I'm sure I'll get used to it. We are about 1 km to a rocky beach, we enjoyed a sundowner yesterday watching the sun through a haze of pollution, still beautiful in its own way though.
I guess that brings us up to date. Time to go scoot!
India the next adventure
We are now in India.Unfortunately we can not download any pics at this time since the internet here does not support my system of camera. We arrived here on December 10th and got lost in Thivm 100km north of Madgoan where we were trying to get too. Even with this we have found a beach in Anjuna which considering how much we have gone through with the 12 hour bus ride, 3 hrs of taxis and getting off at the wrong train stop is quite nice. The adventure of getting here and being bombarded with beggars,taxi drivers,anyone trying to sell something and the heat was actually really stimulating. We have only been here for a few hours in Anjuna and I have a feeling that it might just be fun.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Rome and Kenya
our view from the porch in Kenya
Angie and Bryan's place
Definitely not the honeymoon suite!!
granite bathtub in the vatican museum
Colleseumwe left Malta for Rome, Nov 3. after a great time in Malta we were a little sad to leave but ready for the next adventure and anniversary fun in Rome. Well, let's just say we'll always remember this anniversary. pics will have to come at a later time. we had a half trailer/mobile home with immovable bunk beds! Good times. we spent the day looking at the vatican museums. The history is amazing, really you could spend months looking at everything. this part was fun. then we managed to have perfect timing to hit a down pour and get totally soaked. then we headed back to the trailer a little defeated, although Ben still had a good attitude and we had a nice take out dinner from our hostel restaurant in our trailer. Next day we got lost on a bus which took up too much time, and saw the Colleseum which was a wonder to see. that was our time in Rome and off to Kenya.
So we've now been in Kenya for a week. I have had a bad cold for 6 of those days. Ben has stayed healthy though, so that's good. We're staying with our friends Angie and Bryan on a piece of land in the Rift Valley. We sit on their porch and watch the monkies and baboons play, it's truly beautiful and amazing. It's about 45 min drive to Nairobi where we get groceries and do errands so the rest of the time it's very quiet. We're going to really be in shock when we hit India now! Our friends are still trying to find work or coming home to Calgary in Dec so our expected time here might be a bit shorter than expected. Possibly we'll be in India by mid Dec. We'll see though, still a bit early to tell. Our friends Kari and Marty that we had lots of fun with in Malta are coming to Kenya the end of Nov so more fun is to be had still. We'll hopefully be doing a camping safari and hiking and some more outings. Although just driving around yesterday we saw wild zebras, giraffes and other interesting wild life. Bryan and Angie are into bird watching, so i think of you often dad, you would love them here!
so not too much to report as it's been pretty quiet here. internet connection isn't very accessible where we're staying but we'll keep trying to keep in touch as much as possible.
we love you very much and miss you all, and often think of you!
Love
Leah and Ben
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Almost time to move on.
Leah looking for some adventure in the Calypso caves in Gozo.
The Azure Window.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Malta
We've now had 2 weeks in Malta, and our time here is half complete already! It's been a fabulous time here. A place to relax after much chaos of trying to get ready for this trip, and also a time with great friends that we get to hang out with everyday! We like Malta!
Ben usually starts his day getting up early, walking around the neighborhood taking pictures, visiting the locals and gettin a donought like what he had when growing up. It's no Timmies, but he likes. I choose to sleep in until blinded by sunlight, then enjoy coffee with everyone. No hurried times here, it's great. There's lots of sightseeing to do here as well as some beaches and snorkelling. Our friends Kari and Marty also have a bunch of friends here from their previous visits so we have lots of social time with their friends as well. Food here is fabulous, produce just tastes so good here, not quite like home!
Today we're off to a beach to try our snorkel gear, then Kari and I are out for dinner. We now have internet access from our "flat" so we'll try to keep up with the blog and pics!
Chow!!
Ben usually starts his day getting up early, walking around the neighborhood taking pictures, visiting the locals and gettin a donought like what he had when growing up. It's no Timmies, but he likes. I choose to sleep in until blinded by sunlight, then enjoy coffee with everyone. No hurried times here, it's great. There's lots of sightseeing to do here as well as some beaches and snorkelling. Our friends Kari and Marty also have a bunch of friends here from their previous visits so we have lots of social time with their friends as well. Food here is fabulous, produce just tastes so good here, not quite like home!
Today we're off to a beach to try our snorkel gear, then Kari and I are out for dinner. We now have internet access from our "flat" so we'll try to keep up with the blog and pics!
Chow!!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Only in Malta.
I saw this sign on what they call the beach. The yellow rail on the left is a handrail for getting in and out of the sea not for boats.So my question is what are they towing ?
Lost in Malta...
Hello all from Malta.Here we are with Kari and Marty from Gull Lake enjoying our first dinner in Malta
Here is our bed in Malta, and a mighty fine bed it is.
Be carefull about the nudity of your lighting they get very upset about it here.
This is one our views that we were greeted with upon our arrival on the island. Not bad huh? The weather here is very hot in the mid twenties and apparently we are here in the fall and the weather in the summer is around the mid to high thirties with hardly any breeze. The island is beautiful and can be really harsh. The people here are terrific and the food awww soooo good. When you get here you have to try pizztizeria ( pea cake or cheese cake) I am telling you it is great. The island is very small compared to Canada but you could get really lost here. The villages around here were built in the olden days to confuse and slow down invading armies. So bring a map that is up to date!!!! Imperitive on the latter. You never know what is going to change on the island. The only constants are the chuches and ruins.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Are we really in New York?????
The Phantom of the Opera.A really great show.
Where is the statue of liberty?I think we need to get a little closer.
Times Square is there enough lights on?
New York the city that never sleeps.
An understatement for this city. If you have the stamina for this city all the power to you.after two days we are running on low. Too much to see,do and eat. The fact that you can lose yourself here in the mass of humanity and still be sane is really incredible. The people here are really friendly and helpful, which to me seems odd for a city that runs at a cutthroat speed.If slow down you will be run over,this doesn't seem to be the way things are.Because if you need to stop you can isolate yourself in the park or if you need people you walk a block in any direction. The city seems to feed you soul if it were. You need energy, stand in the street at night on Time Square and the mass of humanity that descends to see the sights will energize you,with the enthusiasm of the buskers and vendors to the awestruck tourist holding everything in unabandoned excitement. The park in the middle of the city strike me as oasis of calm and serenity in an jungle of humanity and concrete. Refreshing ones mind and body from the rigor of constantly moving, because stopping completely is not an option on the street. The draw to this city is very strong because there is no end to the happenings or things going to happen in this city. The thing I am learning from this city is enjoy this moment because you never know what is going to happen next. Till next time life is short live it well.
In NYC!
Okay, my turn to try this blo thing...
Well, after much work, prep, prayers, and help, we've left our known world and comforts and have started the adventure. We arrived in NYC and was introduced to the subway system right away. Yup, that's me being cheap. 2 hours later and amazingly no wrong turns later we arrived to our host home. We're in lower Harlem, right near north central park. Yeah, so the building welcome reads a sign "building under rat extermination...if there is a bad odour it's the dead rats in the wall...we appreciate your patience... Nice! But the place itself is great. No worries the odour isn't too bad! We hit Broadway yesterday and saw Time Square with all the lights at night. We actually didn't realize it was Time Square we just thought it was broadway, so I guess we weren't as impressed as the very hyped "Time Square." Today we're hitting the park and maybe a Broadway show!
A special thanks to our family and friends for all of their help in making all of this possible. We appreicate all your help and love that has gotten us to this point.
Leah
Well, after much work, prep, prayers, and help, we've left our known world and comforts and have started the adventure. We arrived in NYC and was introduced to the subway system right away. Yup, that's me being cheap. 2 hours later and amazingly no wrong turns later we arrived to our host home. We're in lower Harlem, right near north central park. Yeah, so the building welcome reads a sign "building under rat extermination...if there is a bad odour it's the dead rats in the wall...we appreciate your patience... Nice! But the place itself is great. No worries the odour isn't too bad! We hit Broadway yesterday and saw Time Square with all the lights at night. We actually didn't realize it was Time Square we just thought it was broadway, so I guess we weren't as impressed as the very hyped "Time Square." Today we're hitting the park and maybe a Broadway show!
A special thanks to our family and friends for all of their help in making all of this possible. We appreicate all your help and love that has gotten us to this point.
Leah
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The packing begins!!!!!!
We just got back from my cousins wedding.Which was wonderful, by the way.The ceremony was beautiful , not as beautiful as the couple them selves. Weddings always seem to have an effect of one sort or another. The stress of getting married, or being single the joy of being married . All this shows the different aspects of our lives and the journey that brings us to that certain point in it. The many trials that couples go through together to make things work. The wonderful and not so wonderful emotions that bring a couple together. The wedding made me realized that if you can't lean on your partner there is going to be a long journey ahead of you and only you. If you take anything away from this please remember that in a marriage there is two of you now not just you.
The joy of marriage brings a certain life to the routine of life.Revives the vows I took with my wife. This journey that we are taking together doesn't seem so daunting when I kow that she will be there by side.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Getting closer
Two weeks till we leave on our big adventure.The excitement is getting more intense with each day that we get closer to the date.All the little things that need to be complete seem to pile up more each day.Things that were unforseen seem to pop up more often than things planned for .Although just planning for the trip seems to be quiet the journey in itself. Patience and understanding is not a strong suit of ours and yet it seems that we as couple are learning to work together alot easier.
I'm not quiet well versed as of yet on how this blog should work so bear with us. Just like this journey everything is a work in process. Thank-you for patience.
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