April 25th
Today when we woke up we thought it was very early because after five days on the beach you can start to tell the time by the tide. This morning you couldn't see very much beach because the waves were large-ish so they came up to high to tell.
I have recently thought up an invention that helps you grab things you can't reach. This is a diagram (schematic drawing in journal). I think it would be very useful.
Today we also had a lot of fun body surfing with the waves. As I said, the waves were pretty big so you could go a long way.
April 29th 2 days left!
Hours left: 70 (exactly)
When we were at the beach we went snorkelling. It was fun but I liked Dahab better because the coral was more colourful. On the island the fish were very interesting and there were lots of little blue fish. There were lots of long fish also. My favourite fish were the ones that were one and a half inches tall and three inches long. They were silver but they shimmered blue and green.
There was some coral that was shaped like cloth when you put it near a fan and it ripples up and down. We also saw sea anemone.
When we got to Bangkok from the beach we went to Subway. I had a BLT on parmesan oregano bread and it hit the spot.
Today we are doing one last bit of shopping before we leave.
Matthew
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Back in Thailand
April 17th
Today we saw a wat that was very cool. I find a lot of wats here have very interesting coloured mirrors as well as paintings of the Buddha's life.
At the front of the wat on the staircase is always two big dragons that are looking out majestically and don't seem to notice that they are getting slurped up like spaghetti by a big long snake-like sea monster that has big ridges down it's back.
After we saw that little wat we went for breakfast. I had a cheese and ham omelette with brown toast and after eight and a half months of white bread it tasted pretty good.
After breakfast we walked around, saw a few more wats, and then walked to a big one. At the big wat, you could really tell it was different. There was carving around the door, the patterns on the columns were different - it just felt different.
there was also a tray that people could put candles onto. Somebody put a candle on and it fell off and I guess a lot of wax from other candles had dripped down so there was a small fire.
After that we went to a little garden that had some of the Buddha's teachings on little signs. My two favourite ones were, "Peace is the highest bliss" and "To do good and evil unseen by others are always seen by oneself"
After the garden we saw a wat that had a lot of paintings.
Matthew
Today we saw a wat that was very cool. I find a lot of wats here have very interesting coloured mirrors as well as paintings of the Buddha's life.
At the front of the wat on the staircase is always two big dragons that are looking out majestically and don't seem to notice that they are getting slurped up like spaghetti by a big long snake-like sea monster that has big ridges down it's back.
After we saw that little wat we went for breakfast. I had a cheese and ham omelette with brown toast and after eight and a half months of white bread it tasted pretty good.
After breakfast we walked around, saw a few more wats, and then walked to a big one. At the big wat, you could really tell it was different. There was carving around the door, the patterns on the columns were different - it just felt different.
there was also a tray that people could put candles onto. Somebody put a candle on and it fell off and I guess a lot of wax from other candles had dripped down so there was a small fire.
After that we went to a little garden that had some of the Buddha's teachings on little signs. My two favourite ones were, "Peace is the highest bliss" and "To do good and evil unseen by others are always seen by oneself"
After the garden we saw a wat that had a lot of paintings.
Matthew
New Year and new country
April 12th
Today we had breakfast at a place other than the Scandinavian Bakery, and it turned out pretty well for me. I had "pancake with chocolate and banana" but it was more like a "cake with chocolate ice cream and banana!"
After my wonderful breakfast we saw a few wats and then....WATER FIGHT!
My favourite part was sneaking up on somebody and dumping a bucket on them.
April 16th
Yesterday we crossed the border between Laos and Thailand. It wasn't much of a border crossing though because you crossed a river, they stamped your passport and you're through! Normally, you have to go to the immigration office, sign a form, go to a visa office to get a visa, go to a different building, get your bags checked and then you can cross. But this one was pretty painless.
After the border crossing, we said no to a bunch of tuk tuk drivers, walked the wrong way to the bus station and couldn't find a bus station so we took a tuk tuk.
When we got to the bus station we realized I was going to have to sit on Mama's lap because there were only three seats left.
After we bought some snacks we got on the bus and said good bye to the 7-11 and drove off into the land of 'eating pringles on bus trips'.
When we got to Chiang Mai, we found a nice little tuk tuk that nad no driver so we went to another tuk tuk that had a driver. We went to a wat near our hotel, but on the way we ran into some New Year's party-ers. Sadly, we were caught up in a traffic jam and they had a lot of water. Mama told them to get us, not our bags, but then they started pouring water all over us!
Matthew
Today we had breakfast at a place other than the Scandinavian Bakery, and it turned out pretty well for me. I had "pancake with chocolate and banana" but it was more like a "cake with chocolate ice cream and banana!"
After my wonderful breakfast we saw a few wats and then....WATER FIGHT!
My favourite part was sneaking up on somebody and dumping a bucket on them.
April 16th
Yesterday we crossed the border between Laos and Thailand. It wasn't much of a border crossing though because you crossed a river, they stamped your passport and you're through! Normally, you have to go to the immigration office, sign a form, go to a visa office to get a visa, go to a different building, get your bags checked and then you can cross. But this one was pretty painless.
After the border crossing, we said no to a bunch of tuk tuk drivers, walked the wrong way to the bus station and couldn't find a bus station so we took a tuk tuk.
When we got to the bus station we realized I was going to have to sit on Mama's lap because there were only three seats left.
After we bought some snacks we got on the bus and said good bye to the 7-11 and drove off into the land of 'eating pringles on bus trips'.
When we got to Chiang Mai, we found a nice little tuk tuk that nad no driver so we went to another tuk tuk that had a driver. We went to a wat near our hotel, but on the way we ran into some New Year's party-ers. Sadly, we were caught up in a traffic jam and they had a lot of water. Mama told them to get us, not our bags, but then they started pouring water all over us!
Matthew
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Waterfalls
April 11th 19 days left
Today we went to the waterfalls. I really liked it because there was a really fun rope swing. You could do all sorts of tricks like cannon balls.
There were some people there who could do a flip but I didn't get that far. However, I did get as far as slipping off every third time I tried.
It was very picturesque there. After a little while of swinging we went to the big waterfall that the Lonely Planet says is ten meters tall, but I think its higher. Jonas and I threw rocks in the waterfall for a little bit but then we realized that there wasn't much to do there so we went back to the rope swing, but by that time rough people had come there. We went to a little quieter space and then took our tuk tuk back to Luang Prabang.
Matthew
Today we went to the waterfalls. I really liked it because there was a really fun rope swing. You could do all sorts of tricks like cannon balls.
There were some people there who could do a flip but I didn't get that far. However, I did get as far as slipping off every third time I tried.
It was very picturesque there. After a little while of swinging we went to the big waterfall that the Lonely Planet says is ten meters tall, but I think its higher. Jonas and I threw rocks in the waterfall for a little bit but then we realized that there wasn't much to do there so we went back to the rope swing, but by that time rough people had come there. We went to a little quieter space and then took our tuk tuk back to Luang Prabang.
Matthew
Elephant Ride
April 9th
Today we went to the Scandinavian Bakery for Breakfast. I was very excited to have an egg sandwich again. It is the Lao new year on the 12th and they have a big water festival. I made a little water squirter for self defense!
April 10th
Today we went to the Elephant XL camp. It was really fun. We rode elephants and we saw a little village too. There were two people in each bench and one bench on each elephant. My favourite part of the elephant camp was riding the elephant.
It was a bit bumpy though, once the elephant sprayed me with her trunk and it felt like a high pressure water squirter. It was fun to see all the little houses on the hillside. I also really liked feeding the elephants - their trunks just reading out to the bananas in your hand.
Elephant Facts
Elephants can live up to a hundred years and weigh a whopping 3.3 tons at the most. They eat up to 200 kilograms per day. Elephants like to eat bananas, banana trees, papaya trees and their favourite is sugarcane!
I've thought up a push-off button water squirter but I don't think it would work as good as an elephant though!
Matthew
Today we went to the Scandinavian Bakery for Breakfast. I was very excited to have an egg sandwich again. It is the Lao new year on the 12th and they have a big water festival. I made a little water squirter for self defense!
April 10th
Today we went to the Elephant XL camp. It was really fun. We rode elephants and we saw a little village too. There were two people in each bench and one bench on each elephant. My favourite part of the elephant camp was riding the elephant.
It was a bit bumpy though, once the elephant sprayed me with her trunk and it felt like a high pressure water squirter. It was fun to see all the little houses on the hillside. I also really liked feeding the elephants - their trunks just reading out to the bananas in your hand.
Elephant Facts
Elephants can live up to a hundred years and weigh a whopping 3.3 tons at the most. They eat up to 200 kilograms per day. Elephants like to eat bananas, banana trees, papaya trees and their favourite is sugarcane!
I've thought up a push-off button water squirter but I don't think it would work as good as an elephant though!
Matthew
Laos
April 3rd
Today we got up, packed up the last bits and caught a taxi to the airport. When we got to the airport we checked in, checked our baggage and went to the waiting room. When we got on the plane they came around with muffins and yogurt.
In Vientiane Papa, Jonas and I waited at the restaurant while Mama went to look for a hotel. Right before I started writing in my journal there was a big rain storm. Rain was pouring off everything including the corrugated metal roofs which made the water look cool as it came off of them.
April 4th
Today we got up early to see things before it got too hot. We went to the Scandinavian Bakery and they had an English muffin (egg, ham and cheese sandwich). It was really gooood. After that we went and saw a lot of wats (temples). I like them a lot because they had a lot of little towers that looked like this (drawing in journal). The reason I found it so cool was because it had all sorts of colours of mirrors. One wat we went to had 8892 tiny little mini Buddha statues. I think they were about two and a half inches tall and one and a half inches wide.
Another wat we went to had little origami money towers. Finally after that last wat we went to a museum.
April 6th
Today we had breakfast and then went to get tractor tire inner tubes so that we could float down the river. My two favourite parts were going down the rapids and going on the zipline. There was a boy there who did something very interesting on the zipline. He went like this: (drawing in journal), hit the spring, spun around and dived into the water.
I really liked the zipline. Mama and Jonas did something where you just jump off a platform swing and when almost going in the other direction, you let go and fall into the water. After that we had pizza and then we floated down the river again. The scenery was beautiful. It looked like Meteora in Greece. Only with more vegetation.
Matthew
Today we got up, packed up the last bits and caught a taxi to the airport. When we got to the airport we checked in, checked our baggage and went to the waiting room. When we got on the plane they came around with muffins and yogurt.
In Vientiane Papa, Jonas and I waited at the restaurant while Mama went to look for a hotel. Right before I started writing in my journal there was a big rain storm. Rain was pouring off everything including the corrugated metal roofs which made the water look cool as it came off of them.
April 4th
Today we got up early to see things before it got too hot. We went to the Scandinavian Bakery and they had an English muffin (egg, ham and cheese sandwich). It was really gooood. After that we went and saw a lot of wats (temples). I like them a lot because they had a lot of little towers that looked like this (drawing in journal). The reason I found it so cool was because it had all sorts of colours of mirrors. One wat we went to had 8892 tiny little mini Buddha statues. I think they were about two and a half inches tall and one and a half inches wide.
Another wat we went to had little origami money towers. Finally after that last wat we went to a museum.
April 6th
Today we had breakfast and then went to get tractor tire inner tubes so that we could float down the river. My two favourite parts were going down the rapids and going on the zipline. There was a boy there who did something very interesting on the zipline. He went like this: (drawing in journal), hit the spring, spun around and dived into the water.
I really liked the zipline. Mama and Jonas did something where you just jump off a platform swing and when almost going in the other direction, you let go and fall into the water. After that we had pizza and then we floated down the river again. The scenery was beautiful. It looked like Meteora in Greece. Only with more vegetation.
Matthew
Halong Bay and Birthday
March 31st
Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy......today is Mama's birthday! Today we will go see some pagodas because Mama doesn't want to see a dead Ho Chi Minh (I wouldn't want to either). Now I am going to write about....
Halong Bay
Halong Bay looked really cool in the mist. One day we went kayaking and saw lots of little islands and big islands. We saw one very small cove with a little boat washed up. Inside a cave, Linh, our guide, showed us a big pointing finger that he thought looked like a cannon. I guess it did seeing as there was a big hole in a straight line from it, like it had shot a cannonball. There were also other rock shapes, like an elephant, inside the cave, coming out of a big stalagmite.
Halong Bay, Day 2
Today we had breakfast and then we went for a hike on Cat Ba Island.
The hike wasn't all that great considering you couldn't see anything from the top, because it was too misty. After that we went to have lunch. After lunch we went to Monkey Island and I made a castle out of coral pieces. When we got back, Jonas Mama, Papa, Taz (a German guy we met) and I went to a little market. They had lots of stuff including a 700 dollar motor bike! They also had a big vase four feet tall! After we did a little more walking we went to bed.
Matthew
Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy......today is Mama's birthday! Today we will go see some pagodas because Mama doesn't want to see a dead Ho Chi Minh (I wouldn't want to either). Now I am going to write about....
Halong Bay
Halong Bay looked really cool in the mist. One day we went kayaking and saw lots of little islands and big islands. We saw one very small cove with a little boat washed up. Inside a cave, Linh, our guide, showed us a big pointing finger that he thought looked like a cannon. I guess it did seeing as there was a big hole in a straight line from it, like it had shot a cannonball. There were also other rock shapes, like an elephant, inside the cave, coming out of a big stalagmite.
Halong Bay, Day 2
Today we had breakfast and then we went for a hike on Cat Ba Island.
The hike wasn't all that great considering you couldn't see anything from the top, because it was too misty. After that we went to have lunch. After lunch we went to Monkey Island and I made a castle out of coral pieces. When we got back, Jonas Mama, Papa, Taz (a German guy we met) and I went to a little market. They had lots of stuff including a 700 dollar motor bike! They also had a big vase four feet tall! After we did a little more walking we went to bed.
Matthew
south to north of Vietnam
March 18th
Beach! Today we got a bus from HCMC to Mui Ne. When we got here I went straight to the cabin, got my bathing suit on and ran as fast as I could to the water. As soon as I got in....ahhh, nice, cool and refreshing water.
March 19th
Today all I did was dig a big big big hole. It was as big as me! Sadly I didn't have a shovel, or it might have been bigger.
March 24th
Today we woke up very early so we could get to My Son (a group of temples near Hoi An) before the tour groups came. My Son is kind of like the Angkor temples only much smaller.
At My Son there were lots of little rivers, streams, creeks and riverbeds. It was very cool there. I think it's kind of what Angkor Wat would have been like before they cleaned it all out.
When we were done, we saw the Irish again! That's the sixth time we've seen them! 1 - bus from Phnom Penh to HCMC. 2 and 3 - Mui Ne. 4, 5 and 6 - in Hoi An. On the drive back to Hoi An I thought up a little contraption I think is very cool. (Drawing in journal)
March 27th
Today we got to Hanoi on an overnight bus. The bus wasn't too bad although it had pretty rough shocks. On the bus we met someone from Edmonton. He said the Oilers weren't doing very well.
I thought up another contraption. First, get a good sized stick. Then carve a spiral into it. Then glue a stick to a lego wheel and let it roll down the spiral. I would really like to make something like this when we get home. Something else I would like to do when we get home is learn how to solder. I saw something in Bangkok that was really cool and I can do it by soldering!
Matthew
Beach! Today we got a bus from HCMC to Mui Ne. When we got here I went straight to the cabin, got my bathing suit on and ran as fast as I could to the water. As soon as I got in....ahhh, nice, cool and refreshing water.
March 19th
Today all I did was dig a big big big hole. It was as big as me! Sadly I didn't have a shovel, or it might have been bigger.
March 24th
Today we woke up very early so we could get to My Son (a group of temples near Hoi An) before the tour groups came. My Son is kind of like the Angkor temples only much smaller.
At My Son there were lots of little rivers, streams, creeks and riverbeds. It was very cool there. I think it's kind of what Angkor Wat would have been like before they cleaned it all out.
When we were done, we saw the Irish again! That's the sixth time we've seen them! 1 - bus from Phnom Penh to HCMC. 2 and 3 - Mui Ne. 4, 5 and 6 - in Hoi An. On the drive back to Hoi An I thought up a little contraption I think is very cool. (Drawing in journal)
March 27th
Today we got to Hanoi on an overnight bus. The bus wasn't too bad although it had pretty rough shocks. On the bus we met someone from Edmonton. He said the Oilers weren't doing very well.
I thought up another contraption. First, get a good sized stick. Then carve a spiral into it. Then glue a stick to a lego wheel and let it roll down the spiral. I would really like to make something like this when we get home. Something else I would like to do when we get home is learn how to solder. I saw something in Bangkok that was really cool and I can do it by soldering!
Matthew
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