timandshannon

Jul 09: House and fields

2009-07-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Jul 09 Mark and Claire's wedding Dublin

2009-07-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

This was a great wedding. Amazing cathedral and their band is the most sought after band in Ireland (Spring Break). Mark said they actually planned their wedding date around the bands availability!

Jul 09: Take That with Nick and Juliette

2009-07-11T09:39:00.001-07:00

Jun 09 Phillis trip to Devon (Salcombe)

2009-07-11T09:34:00.001-07:00

May 09: New Forest Middle Distance race

2009-07-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of pre-race that goes on between Tim and Caelim.

May 09: Dinner in the garden with Noel, Alison and Millie

2009-07-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here's Millie front and centre:

Apr 09: OSCAR!

2009-07-11T09:25:00.001-07:00

Here are some cute pics with Tim's god-son Oscar (Nick and Juliette's son). He is the sweetest and happiest little boy!

Apr 09 Fulon Tri Ceildh

2009-07-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

In the UK (mainly Scotland) people tend to enjoy something different on the dancefloor. It's like Scottish square dancing but a bit more full contact - it's hilarious.

Apr 09 Skiing with Liz and Rob in Mottaret

2009-07-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

Lots of skiing and good food to be consumed!

Spring skiing is definitely the way forward. I could have skied in my bikini (and Rob, his man-kini) but those pictures would have never made it up here...

Mar 09 Tim's cooking experiments

2009-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Tim smugly presents his Beef Wellington...

Mar 09 New York

2009-07-11T09:05:00.001-07:00

I travel out to the US every few months. I normally have a day to see friends.

I had a wander around NYC and found this pic interesting - what was this?

Here's Mark, Claire and Lloyd.

I need to get a pic of Carol, Mick and Abigail - these are just the pics I took from my phone...

Feb 09 Belfast

2009-07-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Tim and I visited Karly and Pete at their new place near Belfast (Donagadee specifically).

We went for walks on the coast, the guys skipped rocks on the water (you're never too old to do it!) and had a murder mystery dinner where we dressed up...

Visit to India!

2008-12-24T04:55:00.000-08:00

We arrived to Delhi at 1am on Sat 29th. Tim and I met up with Adrians driver who kindly drove us to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and Red Fort. I just learned that people don't need to take drivers tests to get a licence. So, scary drive. But the Taj was breathtaking!

The next morning, I left Tim in Delhi and took a train up to Rishikesh, the yoga and spiritual capital of the world. Sounds full-on. My first day, I felt a bit daunted by the incense and pachouli oil, but then I discovered that there were a lot of people like me who are out here to enjoy a bit of yoga (I do chuckle at the backpackers with dreadlocks and canadian flags on their packs - they're staying in another part of town). The ashram I am staying in is a bit like a no-frills hotel - my room overlooks the river, which is stunning at sunset. I can take whatever yoga class is on offer in a huge yoga hall with marble floors and great acoustics for the mantras (no, Kellie, I'm not on dirt floors in a hut!). I have purchased a couple items of clothing - I have to look the part whilst in India. I'm starting to warm up to the "Om-ing" as well. The sanscrit is a bit hard to pronounce but I mumble my way through it. I do feel quite limbered up and relaxed from the ayurvedic massage each day - at GBP 10 per session, why not?
I always thought that India would be hot, dusty and full of beggars. But I bypassed that by going up to Rishikesh first off. Tim and I go to Rajistan on Saturday so maybe I'll see a more hectic view of India. I do love the cows wandering the streets and how they are considered sacred creatures. Personally, I don't know how people can go thru life without enjoying the occasional cheeseburger but it's their choice. The Hindu religion is fascinating as well. I didn't realise it's one of the oldest religions - and complex!

Rajistan was beautiful. We drove to Bikiner first and stayed in the Old Town. Tim and Jane, his colleague, went to view hotels for their new business (http://www.expindia.co.uk/) and David (Jane's husband) and I went to shop in the old town. The old cobblestone streets and doors opening to havelis (beautiful courtyards). We also visited the fort and the rat temple (the rats are reincarnations of saints so well fed and plentiful). Ask Tim how far he leapt when one decided to breakdance around his feet. We also did a camel safari into the desert dunes, had a geographical lesson on the landscape and learned a vast amount on camels, and then we had dinner as the sunset (and a fine bottle of wine from David's collection).

We also ventured to Jodpur, which is also known as the Blue City. Though we visited many forts, this one had the most breathtaking view of the blue buildings. Tim and I were only there for 10 hours and took an overnight train back to Delhi. Always book first class when travelling in India. The price difference is nothing for us over consuming affluent foreigners...

Delhi was a cosmopolitan bustling city. It has a lot of great museums to visit including the Mahatama Ghandi museum which was very historic. We had dinners with Adrian and Naomi (by the way, they just had a baby girl named Nina) which was great fun. I met Tim and Adrian's work colleagues at the UKIBC (UK Indian Business Council). One of their colleages, Cindrela, saved me by loaning me her compter to do a video conference with my new employer. That video conference allowed me to do the final interview which got me the job! So, thanks for the UKIBC for facilitiating that!!

The things I love about India are the regional food, the spicy masala chai, the beautiful people and colourful clothing. The only thing I can live without is having to brush my teeth with bottled water. I'm really looking forward to going back to India - there are so many places we want to visit. It's a huge, exciting and SAFE country!

House Progress October

2008-10-14T02:45:00.001-07:00

At last, we have moved in!

Finally, we are settling into the house. We moved in mid September! Our weekends consist of tree buying, organising and cooking.

We have purchased 6 new "sound proofing" bay trees. If they survive, they may start blocking the road sound by 2017 - and for now, they just look nice. We managed to fit all 6 in our incredible huge Passat. Thanks for the Power of Passat, we were able to move everything - sofas and all.

Below are pictures of Tim looking manly after he dug up a massive fence post and cement block - I'm scared to see what else we find when digging up our garden.

When we bought the house, we never thought we would have to re-do the kitchen, but we basically re-did everything. Below, Tim is preparing for an incredible meal - Coq au Reisling - he deserved a few Michelin stars for that dish.
We have an open plan kitchen/"dining" area. We bought some new soft brown leather chairs which have enriched our lives to no end. The shelves come from Tim's bedroom from his parents place. It matches the floor but we are unsure if dark brown shelves would look better. Feedback welcome... Both our bedroom and guest room have the wooden beams. They are original, from the 1800's but have been recently repainted.
It's hard to get the right angle for the office pic (below). It has 2 skylights and we have put 2 desks in there. A double airmattress fits in there if need be.

Below is the view into the conservatory. We have moved that desk upstairs into the office, we have turned that sofa around and will be putting in another chair. It's very cozy with the furry rug and the ambient uplighting. This is our sitting room below. We are replacing the woodburning fireplace with a newer version. That is expected to be installed in November so it's going to be super warm in that house over the winter. Note how I took the pics on the sunniest day of the year - the radiant sun has taken over the conservatory.
This is the view from the kitchen, down the hallway past our utility room and toilet room, into the conservatory.

I can only wish this was our back garden. This is actually at the Belgian Arms, a great pub/restaurant in Holyport.
We spent the afternoon walking down country paths picking fresh blackberries.

This is the sunniest weekend of the year. It may be misrepresentative of what England is really like, as it's normally overcast, yet mild most of the year. When it starts raining tomorrow, I'll pull up these photos so I can remember that this was real and not just a mere dream...

Surfing North Devon August

2008-08-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

We spent the bank holiday weekend in Croyde. Surfing was very entertaining. The guys did catch waves, however, my video seemed a bit chaotic. We had a great dinner at the Thatch pub - shelter from the rain. The weather was good enough on Sunday to cook breakfast and dinner at the campsite. Camping is definitely more of a weather adventure in the UK. Even in August, one must be equipped with wet weather gear, otherwise retreat to the nearest pub. Tim was outnumbered by South Africans, a Northern Irishman, a Canadian and myself, a Californian.

House Progress August

2008-08-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

So, we are so close to moving in. It may look in a bit of a state but it's actually about 8 man days away from completion. However, having the men is a bit trickier as our painter and flooring guys are quite busy and Darren, our PM, threw his back out this past weekend. So, we are very close and somewhat far. This video illustrates a few subtleties: Firstly, our new car, the Passat. We bought this beast from Gavin. We love it as we can move sofas with it, one thing our former Polo couldn't manage (actually the Polo couldn't even manage to run). Anyway. Another point that could have been missed is the apple tree hovering over the car. I am eating some homemade apple sauce as I type this blog now. My work colleagues and husband will benefit from an apple crumble soon. Now, the traffic. Yes, we are next to a small yet busy road but I look at it like this: It's the UK. It's overcast and chilly most of the year, how many hours are we going to spend out in the garden compared to inside within the double glazed windows and surround sound stereo system? Exactly.

Quick San Francisco Visit August

2008-08-18T13:27:00.001-07:00

I had a few minutes to spend with friends from home at the Grove in San Fran. Thanks Dana, Tori/MonSi/Maddy, Charlotte/Bijan, Ali/Tom, Kerry/Dave/Sam/Katie and Jenny (and Tim) for gathering one eve to catch up. As ever, there is never enough time but so great for a quick catch up. I'd also like to thank the City of San Francisco for opening up one more parking place otherwise I would have never made it on time... a good parking spot in San Fran can bring one to tears...

Leslie and Matt's Wedding California August

2008-08-18T13:18:00.001-07:00

I only have a few pics from Leslie and Matt's wedding, mainly because we video'd most of it. Here, Lori and I are more made up than we ever have been. Only in America can the groomsmen hold the bride up at the alter. And outside the church, we blew bubbles under the azure sky (typical weather in California). The reception was in my parents back garden (no marquee needed as it's guaranteed sunny weather), amazing food especially the salmon dish, and more sunny weather made the day one to remember. If you are thinking I miss the weather in California, you are right.

Matt Leaving Drinks June

2008-08-18T13:11:00.001-07:00

Sometimes we wonder if Matt practices his poses in front of the mirror. A productive day had by all - Coq D'argent drinks at lunch, Bar Cuba drinks in the eve. I'm not sure how many leaving drinks Matt's had with our company but his "Blue Steel" poses makes it all worth it. Kabir, definitely is posing for his next rock album cover in the pic below. This was such a momentous event that Emily travelled all the way out from California to attend.

Cycling Isle of Wight May

2008-06-12T13:56:00.001-07:00

Me, Karly, Karen, Jo and Karen went cycling around the Isle of Wight - beautiful views, very hilly cycling and a very active dinner table (people dancing on them - note: we are still eating dinner)...

House Progress May

2008-06-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

We are still in the final stretch. Wow, what a life learning experience.

So, these photos were taken within the same 10 minutes. It was bright and sunny until I tried to get the front of the house - and then it looked dark and stormy. It was actually really warm, as shown by Tim's skimpy painting outfit. He wanted to paint in his leopard print speedo but ... no. Anyway, you can see the finished conservatory (don't worry, we are painting the area below the windows).

Tim and Jean (Best Mum-in-Law in the World) are painting the living room. Tim appears to have acquired more paint on his body than the walls but the results were great.

Darren (the Best Building Project Mgr in the World) told us he was really impressed by our speed and agility with the paint roller.

Perhaps I can hear another profession calling...

House Progress April

2008-04-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

The house is taking nice shape now. Rooms are formed on the inside, upstairs and windows fitted. Conservatory comes this week and that area will be plastered as well. There is still a lot left to do but we are on the home stretch (excuse the pun).

Snow in April - Brandon Mansions (our flat)

2008-04-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first days of the English spring! Tim and I woke up, prior to our 10 mile race along the Thames to find a neighbourhood of snow in London. The run was cold but very picturesque along the snowy banks of Chiswick and Kew.

House Progress March

2008-04-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

This shows the extension starting. The ground floor extension will have a utility room, little toilet room (they call it a cloakroom, which I always thought was a closet to hold ones cloaks - should I be admitting this?), and a conservatory. It's still hard to imagine what it will look like when finished but very exciting to think about. Now, if we could just slow those cars down next to us (yes, it does sound busy - happy to have double glazed windows!).

Looking Back... July - Dec 2007

2008-01-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

After we returned from travelling late June, it was back to work for us.

July
For those of you who do not believe that England can be sunny, here is proof. This is Tim and Tim Briggs proving that short sleeved shirts are in fact worn in July. We enjoyed the festivities (mainly the fit men in lycra rowing past us) and Pimms at Henley Regatta.

We committed ourselves to the Berlin marathon in September so I made sure to employ only the best of coaches. First thing that coach Zoe did, is show me how to properly stretch after a run.

August
Whilst living at Tim's parents house, we had Tracey/Stew/Lily, Rowey/Linda, Nick/Juliette and a cameo appearance from David Weinshenker, who was over at Oxford at a seminar. The weekend was supposed to be dedicated to the Wargrave & Shiplake Regatta but was cancelled due to floods (?!). We found ways of entertaining ourselves such as borrowing the Stubbs boat to go on the river (watch that bridge), eating, relaxing in the garden and playing "extreme croquet".

Tim and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary and 2 year togetherness anniversary in Bournemouth. We stayed at a great new boutique hotel called the Urban Beach Hotel. Great atmosphere, bar and breakfast. We didn't surf this time but there are plenty of opportunities to go back. We did, however, do a great 3 hour run and caught a glimpse of all the great beach views on foot.

Tim and I want up to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see Martin, Julie and Zoe at their new house for a BBQ and spin on the merry-go-round (note the sunshine).

September

We are sure we have done more exciting things leading up to the Berlin marathon (oh, yah, we bought a house - see the section below this) but perhaps all we did was run. I am just writing about the photos that are on our camera :). Berlin marathon was great fun. Though we don't have photos, we proudly crossed that line at roughly 3 hours and 31 minutes! We wanted "sub-3:30" but we'll work harder next time. We also had Caelim, Karen, Karen and Christine out with us. The girls did the 26 mile rollerblade marathon the day before. Ask Karen and Christine about their course record!

In November, we went out to Boston to see Lisa and Trevor. We went walking, eating, drinking Peets coffee, visiting Harvard and MIT, enjoying their beautiful back garden, more eating and more Peets coffee.

Aside from all the Xmas celebrations with work and friends, we had a great Phillis Xmas, with our newest family addition, Sebastian (Congrats, Ben and Bettina!).

We also had some other great visitors that made our holidays very special. It was a great time had by all!

Latest Construction

2008-01-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

Attached are the latest photos our the house. If you watch the video below and then look at the photos, the house will be hard to recognise.

History: We bought the house in October with planning permission and building regulations approved to add an extension for a 3rd bedroom, bathroom and conservatory. We bought it with the intention of staying in London for a while and renting the house out until we are ready to move out to the countryside. It's located 30 miles outside London, near Tim's parents house. We thought the house would be ready to rent early this year but we ended up having a construction nightmare: The soil was wrong to build the house. So, rather than go to the Rowe wedding in Thailand, we thought that buying 7 meter deep piling (the worst, most expensive option), to ensure the foundation stays secure, would be more fun than going to Thailand. Who needs vacation anyway? Who needs sunshine, relaxation, warm sand and blue ocean views? Look at this foundation! So beautiful, so inspirational...

We have really nice neighbours, Noel and Alison. Here, Tim and Noel are admiring the fine craftmanship of the fine piling job.

To add the 3rd bedroom, we had to turn the staircase around (not we, Darren, our builder) and rip lots of holes in the walls. The green stuff is the tarp that separates this little cottage from the harsh elements of the British winter.

We have spent many fun hours in both various home improvement shops and garden centres. Please tell me life will go back to normal after this. It really has affected our dinner party chat as well. Don't invite us around for a while because we are very enthusiastic about trees and shrubs these days. Tim's parents gardener had some serious connections at the local garden centre where we bought these little trees at a formidable discount, however, they don't seem too happy in their new home. Tim and I haven't quite mastered the shovel and compost.

The upside to our place is that it's a great period cottage, detached from other houses (very rare in the UK if you want to live close to a bigger town/city), built in the 1800's, with a stylish interior. And the view from our window is of countryside. Stay tuned!

The New House!

2007-10-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

Thank You

2007-06-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today we leave the US to return home. While obviously excited to catch up with our friends and family we realise that an incredible 6 months has now passed.

Unsurprisingly the 6 months have absolutely flown by. We have been so lucky to visit some amazing places and had some wonderful memories. Perhaps most importantly we have been able to share our travels with our friends that are now spread around the world. Thank you all so much for your generosity in having us to stay and finding the time to fit us into your busy schedules.

We look forward to returning you hospitality when you are visiting London. In the meantime- we look forward to hearing your news.

As for our friends in the UK. Don't be shy in asking us NOT to repeat the same travelling story you may have already heard!

Thanks again and see you soon.

Tim & Shannon

Utah & Wyoming

2007-06-25T13:56:00.001-07:00

We had a action packed week with Ned and Gail Weinshenker. They have moved from Salt Lake City to Providence, 9o miles north for Ned's new job at USU (Utah State University). We had the opportunity to get to know the extended family at a party Gail arranged in honour of our wedding. 100 family and friends joined us for a great evening.
We then hopped in the car for our journey through Idaho to Wyoming. Destination: Grand Teton National Park (Jackson Hole). Walking through the national parks gave us some stunning views of the dramatic mountain ranges. Unfortunately, we failed to see the promised moose that cunningly hid in one of the canyons.

Fun dinners, movie nights and scrabble competitions occupied the time when not hiking. The town of Jackson had great shops and restaurants on offer. We look forward to return one winter to do some skiing.

Our final days back in Providence, Utah, were on the deck overlooking the view and gorgeous sunsets. We also had a nice visit by the Rich family which is always a great laugh. This area of the US is a hidden gem with stunning countryside and warm welcome by the locals. It will be a great place to return to!

Lake Tahoe

2007-06-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Heading to Lake Tahoe fulfilled several aims. Most importantly it was a chance to catch up with the Weinshenker side of the family. Dan was undertaking the century bike ride with Team in Training.

Team in Training raises money for Leukemia & Lymphoma research. Leanne, Dan's wife, has recently undergone several months of intensive treatment for lymphoma. Supporting Dan and his friends was really inspirational. As with most events once you start supporting you can not stop cheering on all the people taking part. The ride is known as the most beautiful bike ride in America. The organisers were not wrong. Not only was the route around Lake Tahoe stunning but very hilly. Taking into consideration that those taking part are also riding at over 6000 feet makes the ride even more impressive.

Shannon and I 'camped' in a State Park. To be honest we were not really roughing it the wilderness with amenities close by. This did not however stop us from taking the relevant bear precautions storing all the food beer boxes. Shannon drew the line in letting me bring some boat paddles into the tent just in case a beer visited. We have come to the conclusion that we enjoy the great outdoors but are essentially urbanites with our fear of sharks and bears.

I also had my first s'more experience. For the uninitiated, (the Brits), essentially a s'more is cooked marshmellow sandwiched with two sweet biscuits and Hershey chocolate. After several attempts I perfected the cooking of marshmellow under the close supervision of the s'more guru Shannon.

Both Shannon and I enjoyed the chance to spend some quality time with Dan and Leanne before they headed back to Denver. Lidia is a little live wire and kept us entertained throughout the day. Having started our get fit regime the altitude provided the opportunity to kick start out training. The runs were slow and breathless- it will take a while to get into shape again.

Returning from Lake Tahoe we stopped off in both Benicia and Marin County. It was lovely to pop in to see Kerry, Sammy and Katie in Benicia. T-ball in the garden,and hide and seek kept us on our toes.

Marin County is just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. It looks great for cycling with great views, undulating hills and not too much traffic. The small towns and villages are a million miles from the hustle of the larger cities.

Menlo Park (San Fran)

2007-06-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

Staying with Lee and Linda in Menlo Park, where Shannon grew up, was the first time we have stayed anywhere for longer than 3 days. Such a relief not to be lugging the bags around for a few days.

Since our last trip 18 months ago, Oden, Shannon's nephew, has grown up so much- Bogey, the family golden retriever has another play mate.

I have made amends with Bogey from the last visit. Previously Bogey and I were in constant battle for bed space. I have now won the battle and managed to have a good night's sleep. In return for a peaceful night's sleep, I was duty bound to throw / hit the ball for her to chase throughout the day. Surprisingly, it really helped my short chipping game when we played a few rounds of golf.

Shannon had a fun day with the girls shopping for Leslie's bridal and bridesmaid's dresses. Lee, Sheryl and I did more manual stuff back at home. A perfect day was had by all.

Santa Monica & the US

2007-06-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the western world! Asia has provided many happy and special memories for the both of us, however I think we were both ready to experience some easier travelling.

Staying with Emily and Dan, Shannon's bridesmaid, in Santa Monica was the perfect tonic. First stop- Mexican food for Shannon. It is the one culinary tastes that Shannon craves whilst in the UK. She was not disappointed.

Cycling along the beach from Santa Monica and Venice beach is great for people watching. The mojitos weren't bad either....To celebrate Emilie's birthday hit the town with some friends. Despite apparently speaking the same language the waiters have resorted to ignoring me. Apparently they can not understand me. For me, I am now in the world of the high fives....integration was harder than expected.

Driving north towards San Francisco allowed us to stop of in Monterey, Santa Barbara. Arriving at Chad & Alison's, there was a pleasant surprise. Alison had given birth Luke 8 days early. It was wonderful to spend time with the new family. Completely unphased by their new status of a family, Chad and Alison were coping impressively.

Unfortunately we are not able to make it to the east coast this trip. Luckily our schedule overlapped with Keith's who was over for Memorial day. I spent a chilled day with Keith in and around Monterey- a perfect place to catch up with each other.

Final Night Out in Bangkok - Bye Bye Lol :(

2007-05-23T02:11:00.000-07:00

Happy to be back in Bangkok, we decided to treat ourselves to a very nice dinner at Vertigo, a rooftop restaurant on the 59th floor. It was a good introduction to the restaurant prices in the US as this dinner cost us about as much as our entire Burma trip but the views (and slight anxiety attacks of being so high up) were worth it! No more $1 roadside noodle soup meals with mystery meat... Bring on French Laundry in Napa Valley!

Tim wins the fruffy drink award - Moon Romance sitting atop of dry ice so it was ssssmoldering. Tsss.

Lol and Tim look very smug standing so close to the dangerous, very scary, very high edge!

Burma: Summers in Rangoon...

2007-05-22T04:32:00.000-07:00

The beginning of our trip started with several flights (3 flights in one day + 1 bumpy taxi journey) to Nyoungshwe or Lake Inle. We cycled around the area but got lost and never found the lake but we enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. The next day, we started our 3 day trek with a boatride on the lake. These fisherman are amazing.

Our trek was one of the trip highlights. We had one steep climb but spent most of our time travelling across vast farmlands.

We spent our first night in a monestary and our second night on a farm. The most interesting part is when Mr. Win, our guide, told us that we could "shower" over across the garden. Shower to them means cement basin filled with rainwater in open area where monks or farm family can watch us and laugh.

Since there were so many creatures that could nibble on us, I took to wearing my Euro-trekker outfit - long socks (thanks to Sockmaster Magentie) tucked into my trousers. I have the travel w*nker headband and all. Plus, I'm still donning my Beer Lao gut. The most exciting thing is that I am standing IN the terraced rice fields. Now, that's what it's all about.

Having dinner with the farm family was a treat too. These guys actually have a fire in their hut to cook and dry laundry.

After the trek, we had some stellar Shan noodles and fried tofu in Kalaw and met a member of the NLD. We were really excited to speak to someone about the political situation. Which reminds me... we were weary about coming to Burma (now called Myanmar) because of how the government treats their people. This oppressive government's main opposition, the NLD, lead by Aung Sun Suu Kyi has been in house arrest on and off for years. We read the book - Tim and I will be great chat at dinner parties. Anyway, we will discuss this horrible government when we see you next.

So, we travelled to Mandalay. Our main freedom was to rent bicycles and travel through the towns and cities. It was great fun going through the monks quarter and up Mandalay Hill - which is a series of steps leading through about 20 different shrines. We finished the day off in monsoon rain (me in white shirt, nice) cycling around the palace walls. There was a lot of great messages from red banners i.e. "Those who don't comply with the Union will be crushed". Nice.

Bagan was our next stop. After 10 hours on a scary, packed cargo bus, we made it to the city of a thousand temples. A very unique place, we'd advise going there for a couple days. These temples date back to over 1000 years ago. Some have been restored, some are only a few hundred years old. There is something magical (did she say magical??) about standing on one of these temples looking at other sandstone temples miles away.

Finally, Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon. I think of Tiffany White reciting Dr. Evil's childhood growing up spending "summers in Rangoon..." (Tim didn't get that one - Austin Powers?). It sounds exotic but with the exception of Shwedagon Paya, it's a busy city stuck in the 1940's. Nothing has been changed since the British were driven out in 1948. There is limited slow internet, no ATM's, no visa cards accepted (we had to carry over $1000 in cash for our trip) and unreliable electricity - most places have loud generators in front. This may sound charming to some but after two months haggling and cargo busing through Asia, Tim and I opted to spend a bit more time in our hotel oasis watching the tennis (watching Federer beat the Rafa the Biceps!) and ordering room service. I never thought that a hotel resembling the Holiday Inn could be so luxurious...

Laos - White Water Kayaking to Vientiane

2007-05-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

Ok- so there was only one stretch of white water that was apparently between grade 2-3, it was a fun day trip none the less and a good way to break the journey south up. It was lovely just to get out on the river and do some exercise.

With a group of 4 of us we had the river to ourselves most of the day. Other than a few boys snorkelling with harpoons and a several fisherman we really didn't see anyone else on the river.

The fun-yaks are great fun to potter down river but are not perhaps the best for taking on rapids. Any hint of tipping and you are pretty much thrown off the kayak. Shannon and I just about managed not to tip over whilst going through the rapid (though Shannon looked like she was riding a mechanical bull). Ben and Katie were not so lucky- having not been able to see the route our guide had taken.
Lo cooked a gourmet lunch on the rocks whilst we swam and jumped off the rocks.

The final two hours by pick up truck was interesting. Overtaking a lorry on a blind hill is was intereting to see the lorry driver talking on the mobile phone having a beer.....it was a relief to reach Vientiane in one piece.

Vang Viang- Laos answer to Queenstown

2007-05-11T00:47:00.000-07:00

Vang Viang is totaly unique. It has become a haven for backpackers travelling to spend time on a clear water river, rather than the murky water from all the silt. It breaks up the windy bus journey between Vientiane and Luang Probang. It is also one of the few places one can relax with out the interruptions from locals trying to sell tat.

A local tuk tuk driver kindly offered to drive us to

the start of tubing. Unfortunately he failed to mention he was also going to charge us $2 for the priviledge of driving us 150 yards. Negotiations to retrieve the money (it's the principle of not being conned) was not going too well as voices raised. The driver knowing that we were to leave shortly really was in a rather comanding position. As we mounted the tuk tuk to leave I casually wandered over to his tuk tuk and removed the keys. It would be fair to say that neither of us have seen a driver move so quickly. Had we not got the refund the keys were coming tubing. Moral victory number 2 (again in Laos, like Vietnam, it was to be short victory).

Both Queenstown and Vang Viang offer outdoor activites to see some of the countryside. The main difference is that in Vang Viang you don't need to sober. Tubing is the most popular activity- hiring what must be a tractor inner tube you essentially drift down stream moving from one bar to another. Rope swings and death slides provide a brief distraction from main activity of chilling out as you drift down river. As each bar vies for your attention there is an interesting mix of 80's Euro Pop and the inevitable Bob Marley.

Some people stay in Vang Viang for a few days. For us, 1 night was more than enough. Most restaurants play western DVD's all day. Whilst offering a break from travelling there was not sufficient pull to stay any longer.

Laos- Luang Prabang

2007-05-11T00:30:00.000-07:00

The 4 day overland journey to Luang Probang really is worth it.

Luang Probang is the second city of Laos but still feels like a small market town. It is however strange as it does not feel like a typical city in a third world country. There are very few beggars, no litter or any of the poverty that you would expect. Instead, there are wine bars, expensive boutique shops and a shortage of backpacker accomodation.

Shannon and I just enjoyed chilling out, wandering around the book shops and galleries and then heading off on some bikes to explore the local countryside. Bearing in mind it is the second city, it was rather odd to be in the middle of the countryside after a few minutes cycling. Stopping for a roadside snack, it was a bit of a shock to see
baby dog kebabs....we moved swiftly on.

Luang Probang is known for the monks giving Alms. Every morning at 5.30 the monks walk the streets accepting gifts from the locals. It really is quite a sight seeing up to 300 monks walking single file down the street accepting gifts of food, mostly sticky rice, from the locals. You should only give the monks something of value from yourself and not from some of the street vendors, otherwise the sense of spirituality is lost. You actually get a better feel for the habit if you wander along some of the smaller streets where smaller groups of monks collect the alms from the locals. If you choose to participate, buy your own food from the markets the day before, NOT from the vendors that morning.

Enjoying the Laos food, we joined a cookery class. Visiting a local market and chopping up the local produce whilst being talked through local culinary techniques was a different way to gain an insight into the local people.

The onset of the rainy season seems to have been premature during our bus journey. Since arriving in Laos I have continued to perfect the acquistion of a 'rouge' sun tan.....

Break for the Border- Vietnam to Laos

2007-05-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

It proved a challenge to fulfill our aim of an overland trip between Vietnam and Laos. However- having now managed it, it has become a highlight of our travels so far. There have been several reports of the border crossings at Nameo as being far from pleasant. Border guards and transport too and from the village have been a source to concern for some travellers- however- either things have improved or we were lucky.

Leaving Ninh Binh early morning Shannon and I left on the back of two motorbikes.....well OK- one was a moped. Not quite living the biker dream of the open road on a Harley but it worked. I am not particularly experienced on the back of motor bikes so the next two days was to prove a bit of challenge.Like all great expeditions, we set off having planned meticulously.

15 minutes out of town we ran out of petrol. Not possibly the best start for the trip.......Shannon was on the lead bike with Kiem, I was following closely, some may say too close but this is Asia. Anyway, the interped explorers headed east to Mai Cho, only about 140 kms east but almost 6 hours away. The terrain was incredible. Going though the moutainous jungle, briefly broken by a serious of small settlements. Passing through one village we saw a chopstick factory. Shortly afterwards a series of waterwheels used to take water from the river to irrigate the paddy fields. Both were views we would not have seen on bus taking the normal route.By this time my confidence on teh back of the moped was not much better.

Action was needed on arrival at Mai Cho. A quick walk around the stunning countryside ......and then Rice Wine (plenty of it), local food (though not the insects) and Vietnamese Kareoke. I am shocking, Shannon proved to be quite some diva. Our two drivers remained unimpressed. What did we have to do to impress them? Shannon had tried the insect but was unable to palate the crunchiness of the insects leg.

The second day was a sprint to Nameo for 6 hours. More winding roads, suicidal chickens, dogs, cows and goats to be narrowly avoided, along with a flat tire. Skillfully the drivers dismantled the back wheel and replaced the inner tube. I did not check that any nuts and bolts were left on the ground. I would rather not think about it.... Other than that it was a largely uneventful journey.

Arriving at the border after 2 days was a relief- though I would have to recommend it to anyone travelling in the area. You can fly from Hanoi to Luang Probang- but with such a great journey it would be a shame to miss the experience.

Ha Long Bay - Behaving like teenagers

2007-05-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Being so close, we felt we could not miss the spectacular Ha Long Bay. With 1969 limestone islands jutting out of the sea it really is stunning.

(We only know that there are 1969 islands as it is also the year of Ho Chi Minh's death. Is this a coinsidence or an element of fiction by the country's rulers- never missing the chance for some pointless propoganda).

Anyway- joining a tour with about 10 others we headed off to the islands and the brand new boat on it's maiden voyage. Fantastic, however someone did mention the Titanic. We were probably amongst the oldest, along with some very cool Americans, Chris and Kim.

The boat really was pretty smart with great rooms and deck to enjoy the views. We were excitedly told that all the rooms had sea views- we could not hide our surprise. As with many tourist attractions the secret is out. Our hopes of being the only boat amoungst the islands were soon dashed. With about 100 boarts nearby we were later told that it is for our own safety that the boats are close to each other.

Relaxing, enjoying the journey to the islands a few beers were shared by all. At $2 it was like paying UK prices for beer. Having been guided around the caves on an island, Chris and Kim along with Shannon and I resolved to enjoy the cheaper prices of beer to bring onto the boat. We were spotted by our guide and told this was not possible. Resorting to student-like activities we smuggled the cans aboard- moral victory No 1. It was a short lived victory.

Showering after a power 45 minute canoeing, I managed to spectacularly pull down the towel rail. Revenge for Vietnam. Not only did the rail fall off but whilst plummeting to the ground it rebounded off the toilet cystern- shattering the top cover. Great. It was not as if I was doing pull ups and had broken the rail irresponsibly. Vietnam strikes again. Apparantely toilet lids are a prized commodity in Vietnam. Undoubtedly making a hansome profit we were charged $36 for the privilege.

The only saving grace and redeeming feature was that I was able to win a T shirt at one of the beaches by running across 5 floating and unstable polysterene blocks. I put it down to years of training at the Wargrave and Shiplake regatta and all those unsuccessfull attempts on the greesy poll.

The few days at the bay were indeed fun, more due to the people we met and the feeling that there was a constant battle against being ripped off. Though worth spending time out there I would recommend booking through Kangaroo Cafe. Everyone we have met have had great tours and not experienced the problem of some of the locals ways of extracting the extra dollar from you.

Hanoi: A Flashpackers Journey to the Opera House

2007-04-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

Tim and I couldn't wait to post these photos because our evening last night was such a contradiction in terms. Our hotel gives us free internet access so we are taking advantage - the hotel staff are annoyed because they cannot play their online solitare but they will have to wait!

So, dinner. We needed a quick dinner so we took to the streets. We saddled up to the kiddie table and pointed at the noodle soup. We safely chose eggs as our protein source rather than the delightful array of "meat" offered. I believe in France, brain, liver and sweetbread are considered a delicacy. God bless the French. This display almost put me off dinner (apologies is it has put you off yours) but this was such a great photo opp. Sweeeeet.

After our fine culinary experience, we popped onto a motorscooter taxi (yes, 2 of us + driver, sorry Mom) down to the Opera House.

We had a special evening with Vu Ngoc Linh, the famous pianist. He started his piano training in Moscow (former Soviet Union, I might add) and won a university scholarship to Rowan University in New Joyzee, USA (that's New Jersey for those who don't get the humour). He was a madman on that ivory - we loved him. And he had a posse of groupees running on stage to give him huge flower bouquets - quite a lovah, lovah, I'd expect.

For those who are interested in what we heard, he played Beethoven: Sonate No. 23 "Appasionata" op.57. He played Scriabin: Etude in C sharp minor op.42. He played Debussy: Estampes. And finally Liszt: Sonate in B minor. For his encore, he played the theme to Sonic, the Hedgehog - an old Nintendo videogame - it added a bit of geeky humour for the audience. I'm sure the song was famous before the videogame, but I couldn't tell you what it was - perhaps Gershwin (the American composer)? Eek.

Ok, finally, as a nightcap, we went back to our neighbourhood and had a final beer on one of the busy corner. Locals and tourists alike gather around on kiddie chairs and have people bring us beer from a keg.

In summary:
Two noodle soups and two beers on the street: $3
Two tickets to the opera house: $20
Two glasses of wine at the opera house: $10
Two beers after the show: 25 cents
Spending two hours with Hanoi's elite and ending up "back in our box" with the other travel w*nkers: PRICELESS

First Day in Hanoi

2007-04-27T03:21:00.000-07:00

We love Hanoi! The streets are definitely influenced by the French. They have a beautiful, atmospheric lake in the middle of town, architecture francais, cafes everywhere - and the strongest coffee known to man - 6 hours later, Tim and I are still shaking.

Last night, we walked around the lake, stopping at every al fresco cafe there was having a cocktail, beer or fresh coconut juice.

Today, we went to the Vietnamese Women's Museum. There were photos of the brave women who supported the resistance troops in South Vietnam (meaning the Vietcong). Though they were the "enemy" to the US at the time, it was amazing to see the active participation they took in digging tunnels, schooling children, feeding the soldiers on the front lines, delivering messages, etc. It's interesting seeing the "American War" from another perspective.

I wanted to include this designer vespa - a Louis Vuitton scooter dedicated to Kellie Nicol in London.

An alternative way to see the city is to take a cyclo - these are the recliner chairs we have been describing. Never before have we enjoyed so many new modes of transport. Coming back from the Myanmar Embassy, we decided to take the bus. That was quite a feat considering we had no idea where we were on the map in the first place! It was crowded and hot - very similiar to the public transport in London. We felt right at home.

People tend to use the ground or child size chairs to take lunch breaks. Apparently these "drivers" are having a nice vodka drink on their break. After experiencing the roads here, I guess everyone needs a little Dutch Courage.

We have seen the darndest things here. The relics they seem to worship are hilarious. Seeing images of tigers with big moustashes really inspires me to burn some incense and pay homage to Tom Selleck.

Ho Chi Minh City - Tunnels, Scooters and Aerobics

2007-04-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

It has been a vibrant start to our visit to Vietnam- from legacies of the past to experiencing the modern Vietnam. They have their version of Notre Dame. We were lucky to see the Sunday service in action - people attended the service by sitting inside or al fresco, on their scooters.

The city is undoubtedly living in the shaddow of 'Imperialist' conflicts with both France and the US in the last 40 years.

Visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Museum provide a different perspective of the wars that have scarred the countries history. Victory over the imperialist forces remains the overwhelming message to the visitors. A focus seems to be on some of the atrocities that occurred during the war- the blame being attributed to US influence. Early in Vietnam's struggle however some of the acts were by the Vietnamese on their own countryman. Unfortunately, at both the Museum and the Tunnels, the sense of human loss- by each side- seems to be lost amist the focus on the victory over the US.

Shannon made it through the tunnel to experience the narrow passage ways that the VC lived in to avoid US detection. The tunnel complex runs come 250km through Vietnam with several levels going down to 8 meters deep. They should host a ultramarathon here - now, that would be interesting!

Looking to the future- HCMC has amazing energy. The roads are covered with scooters weaving in between both cars and pedestrians. There are no allocated times to cross the road- rather- step out, pick a line and go for it. It strangely works.

We love the scooter experience. As previously mentioned, they are everywhere. People carry EVERYTHING on it - from 4 person families to full sized air conditioning units to up to 10 live pigs stacked up. We even saw a "drive thru-Vietnamese style" with people selling dinner on the streets.

Randomly walking home last night we stopped in a park to see aerobics, Vietnamese style. With a stereo and three instructors about 70 women were lined up following the instructors as best they could- from 15 to 70 the ladies were put through their paces. With no inhabitions the ladies, in their work clothes, just joined in and left, as and when they wanted.

The Mekong Delta- Overpowered by Music & Bikes

2007-04-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Known as the 'rice bowl' of Vietnam, the Delta is a great place to taste a bit of rural Vietnam and experience some interesting road building.

The Vietnamese will never win any road building competitions. There seems to be either an inability or lack of desire to join the road & bridge evenly. Sitting near the back of the bus Shannon and I were tossed into the ceiling frequently. Alternatively- perhaps the bumps are designed to slow down the drivers.......

Anyway- back to the delta-

Having seen a number of floating markets & villages on our travels we wanted the chance to see a bit more. Similarly- the traditional music performance made the some of Eurovision Song contest entries sound like beautiful ballards. Apparently there is a lovely story to explain the sound of some of the instruments however there is still no excuse. Remember 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' at Christmas by the grade 2 violinist and add a crying shrill whilst sitting in 38 degree heat.

Having taken a day trip to Vinh Long we decided to stay a night to see a bit more. After an hour of searching Shannon and I found some bikes to rent for the evening and next day. We cycled down bumpy paths, dodging small children, barking dogs and chickens. We saw kids of all ages doing Vietnamese karate at dusk - the coordination was woeful - no Bruce Lee's coming out of Vinh Long, that's for sure!

The next morning, we took the bikes back onto the delta islands and were able to really explore. Weaving along the pathways we passed villa style homes and shacks almost next to each other. We were surrounded by fruit trees: Coconuts, spiney melons, limes, bananas (see photo) and pineapples. Bridges crossing the riverways ranged from concrete structures to fallen trees to clamber across. As we rode our bikes, we could feel the fresh breeze blowing through our hair (no helmets available, sorry Mum/Mom) and the quiet pathways, it was truly a heavenly experience. Living the dream.

Phnom Penh - Tough History of Cambodia

2007-04-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

We knew the day would come that we'd arrive in Phnom Penh and need to visit S-21 and the Killing Fields. We did not take any photos for obvious reasons. We could not believe what we saw: S-21 used to be a school in the middle on Phnom Penh that Pol Pot's horrid, paranoid wannabe Communist regime turned into a prison between 1974 - 1979. People were interrogated and forced to confess crimes they didn't commit then sent off to the Choeukh Eh (the Killing Fields) as their final destination point. Out of the several thousand going into S-21, only 7 survived to recount the details. In total, 1-2 million lives were lost as there were many places like this scattered all over the country. And the population was only 7 million to begin with - the equivalent to London's current population! We were upset for many reasons but mainly because this happened in our lifetime AND it's still happening in other countries today. (Do we sound like travel w*nkers, yet? World peace for all!)

On a happier note, we stayed in the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club) along the river. Check out their photo gallery - so cool - http://www.fcccambodia.com/phnom_penh/phnom_penh_photos.php ! Our room was the same square footage as our flat. Stylish rooms, ambient lighting, large wooden furniture and white linens gave the room a very comfortable feel. And the bar restaurant, on 2 levels, overlooked the river - great for sunset drinks. The guidebook describes it as "a Southeast Asian version of Bogart's bar in the film Casablanca" - we actually didn't want to leave the hotel.... bar!

Other fun things we did was jump onto a "cyclo" which is essentially a recliner chair with a guy pushing you on a bike. Tim and I shared one - not comfortable or relaxing as the traffic here is more chaotic that one could ever imagine - the scooters dominate the roads and resemble a swarm of angry bees. Nobody adheres to traffic lights or crossings so you take your own life at every road crossing. However, it's all exhilarating and great fun.

We have never seen more markets than in SE Asia. It's a fashionista's dream with the amazing clothes, shoes, handbags and inexpensive silk/linen tailors. We have never had as many massages as we have had in SE Asia (when they cost less than a latte, why not?). When returning to London, I doubt we will ever need to visit another market or get another massage again but each time, it is another funny experience!

Cambodia: Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

2007-04-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

We started off our evening with a traditional Cambodian show. The show was at a restaurant with great atmosphere - dark wood, open air. The show was about an hour (perfect for my attention span) and full of colour. The dance moves could have been performed by Tim, Laurie or myself, but those colourful skirts would have never suited Tim as nicely as the petite Cambodian girls.

The temples around Siem Reap were fantastic. Essentially there are are dozens of temples that are dotted around the countryside- hidden by the jungle until they were found again in the late 1800's. It's amazing that the temples could have been 'lost' for so long bearing in mind just how much land they cover.

Angkor Wat is the most iconic of temples- surrounded by a 100m moat and with only 4 causeways entering into the temple. For the best views of the temple and the surrounding jungle it's best to literally climb up to the 3rd floor. Steep steps with uneven, narrow ledges made for an interesting ascent and descent. At one point 4 monks looked quite perplexed- if ever there was time for some levitation it would have been this.

When in inhabitied in the 12th Centurary Angkor Thom had almost 1million residents. Covering a huge area the temples are spread throughout the jungle. Most memorable was the Bagan Temple with faces carved into the walls & pillars.

Lastly is the temple left to the jungle, and where parts of Tomb Raider was filmed.

The Simlian Islands

2007-04-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

The reason for coming to Koh Lhak was to enjoy the coastline and get into the water. In our short stay here we have managed a one day snorkelling trip at the Similan Islands. Renowned for it's diving internationally, the snorkelling was fantastic and certainly the best coral we have seen in our limited diving experience. If we were to have more time, or when we visit again in the future, we will certainly do a live aboard.

I am now getting worried that everywhere we go we have a longer list of things to do than when we arrive.

Stopping in between the 8 islands we found some idyllic beaches to chill out on and relax (not that the day's events were particularly stressful). In particular the bright blue coral was eye catching as were the shoals of fishes being swept along in the tidal movements.

We are hardly roughing it at our hotel: spacious rooms, white fluffy duvets, massages in a small hut on our private beach, pina colada's... our YHA card now sits firmly at the back of our wallet (long live the British pound)...

Koh Lak with the Magentie's

2007-04-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

A little bit of France has come to life over that last few days as we have enjoyed the company of the Magenties in Koh Lak (Laurie/Lol, Valerie and Luc). Closing our eyes and listening it would have been easy to think we were in France with the Magentie's switching between English and French. Obviously Shannon and my participation when speaking French was more limited earlier in the evening than late.

We celebrated Thai New Year (it's 2511 rather than 2007) at a great fish restaurant owned by a very camp Thai guy. He and his staff were running around the restaurant smothering us with white powder. They also like to splash water on you which is quite refreshing in this 1000 degree heat.

Hiring vespas to explore some of the coast proved an interesting adventure. Heading off to see the Tsunami Memorial the heavens opened, leaving us stranded in a gas station for an hour playing card games with minature cards. Importantly, the hiring of vespas gave me the opportunity to rid myself of the demons from our honeymoon. Unfortunately however, I am still particularly slow on the vespa and not very good at taking corners. I became the co driver as Shannon took the stering wheel......

Koh Lak was one of the most affected areas of the coastline in Thailand. Over 8000 people died as a result of the Tsunami in Thailand- circa 3000 were tourists. Arriving in the town it is striking to see the areas that were hit. There are literally no houses pre dating the tsunami. All the new developments have taken a relatively standard design with subtle tweaks. In one way it is a shame as the Thai / local identity seems to have been lost in the redevelopment.

The shear force of the tsunami is made apparent as a Police boat (cira 60 foot) has been left beached almost 2 km in land in the middle of a field. It remains as a monument to those that died. Unfortunately the official memorial is less impressive- there seems to be no explanation of why the memorial is located there, or any tributes to those affected and the subsequent work done to recover from the event. Having said that, you can not visit an area so devestated by one single event without visiting the memorial.

Thailand: Kanchanaburi and Koh Pha Nagn

2007-04-11T01:46:00.000-07:00

Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi is really known because of the Death Railway where over 100,000 men lost their lives building a railway to Burma. The town is now a bustling tourist destination because of this- though some of the tours seem to neglect the reason for visiting.

Combining visits to several of the museums, cemetry and of course the bridges was certainly poignant.

On the lighter side of things we had our first elephant trek and 'rafting' experience. The jury is still out as to which wild animal is the more uncomfortable to ride - though I think the camel just about wins it. Shannon particularly enjoyed feeding the elephants after our trek- she must have an affinity with animals with larger than average noses.

We are supposed to be in the hot season at the moment. Returning to the hotel for a sundowner we were greated with torrential rain. Myself and a German traveller valantly tried to finish our drinks before moving on. As a tree branched crashed through the roof we finally decided to beat a hasty retreat to the only solid looking part of the building. Standing in the kitchen did not seem such a good idea having noticed the fine selection of sharp implements hanging on the wall.

Koh Pha Nagn

Our first long distance travelling by public transport- to be honest it was not bad- but I think 10 hours overnight in a train is a good start. (Shannon's edit: Travel path was 2 hours on wood seats on slow train. Tim treated me to a lovely street vendor dinner with mystery bits. Then the 10 hour upright journey to the South. They gave us fresh white blankets which helped. Let's see: Train station transfer to port 1 hr. 4 hour ferry ride. 30 min songtheaw ride to another area of island. And finally a wooden pirate boat to our secluded beach! Hurrah!).

Thai timekeeping is interesting. The 2 hour ferry actually took 4 hours in perfect conditions. Not to worry- a chance to catch up on sleep missed the previous night and to get some valuable sun bathing in. Again, too much time in the sun and I have been working on turning rouge to brown.

We are staying in The Sanctuary on the island http://www.thesanctuary-kpg.com/. Accessible by boat or a 5km jungle walk it's perfect to relax and chill out. Shannon has attended a number of yoga & meditation sessions which seem to be really good. We tried a meditation session that required dancing and shaking for 30 minutes (SP: VERY strange). I've not danced sober for almost 20 years so am sure it would have been a sight to behold. Unfortunately there are no photos! We may try another session tonight (SP: Well, Tim might as he really liked the shamanic spacey meditation teacher who walks around fanning himself with a red feminine paper fan).

The hotel also offers fasting courses up to 7 days. Due to time we are only fasting for one day. So far it's going well though I am a little apprehensive about the end of the day. (SP: The day consists of 2 psyllium husk and volcanic clay shakes, a bunch of strange herb capsules, coconut mik - that was nice, veggie broth - tonights dinner, and other odd bits. 1 day will be enough.) Colonic irrigation should be an interesting experience - DIY style.

On a separate note- we must be getting old as we opted not to go the 'half moon' party last night. If you ask me it sounds like another way to get people onto the island on a more regular basis......a cynic as well as getting old.

Bangkok with Laurie

2007-04-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

Our first couple of days have been filled doing admin - travel agents, visa's and final vaccinations but we have done a few fun things as well: Riding the touk touks, sundowners on the river at the Oriental, 2 great dinners sitting in outdoor gardens. Tonight, we had a massage after dinner. Duration 1 hour at 11pm for 5GBP. We love the hot nights and Tim seems to have adopted an interesting way of dress to cope with the heat (see photo below). Luc is arriving tomorrow and we have plans to meet up in the island area near Phuket.

Singapore Visit: Marc, Zoe, Sasha, Mia PLUS Bov

2007-04-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

We had 4 days in Singapore and had a superb visit with the Leaver family. All were on great form - especially Sasha and Mia, our little friends under the age of 2. We went to the Botanical Gardens, the Zoo and Santosa Island. The photos below are: us at the trendy "IndoChine" restaurant by the river and a journey with Bov into the SE Asian Ibiza-influenced "Cafe del Mar" beach bar - we had one cocktail and really enjoyed the people watching. Singapore is super clean and such a diverse national population however they need to stop building so many shopping malls - how many Prada bags can one gaze upon in every shop window?

New Zealand: Waitangi/Bay of Islands with David & Ali Keys

2007-04-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Behold, Tim and the goatee. After travelling the south island, we wanted to spend a few days north of Auckland near the Bay of Islands. David and Ali Keys were incredible hosts and arranged an official Maori welcome on their Marae. This is probably one of the most historical places because this is where the Maori and British signed the agreement in 1840 to "share" the land (this is all subject to interpretation, of course!). It was a great time- the incredible views, fresh fish and chips, fabulous wine, visiting charming little ports, throwing the ball for Doris (the golden lab hostess) and warding off ghosts...
There is a photo of the "jandal" (flop-flop to non-Kiwi's) fence. The goal for Shannon is to have such deep flop flop tanlines on the feet that I will look back at my feet at the end of summer and remember this great trip! We even hiked to the top of a steep hill in them.

Photos - the Honeymooners

2007-04-03T04:13:00.000-07:00

From stunning views to Jase's award winning mo' - the honeymoon was amazing! Read on for full details:

New Zealand: Gatecrashing the Honeymoon

2007-04-03T04:04:00.000-07:00

So we have now technically been on two honeymoons- our own and now Jase & Kerryn's....

5 days after the ironman Jase & Kerryn tied the knot. Personally Shannon & I thought this was no mean feet- getting married and an ironman in one week!

Off to the South Island for 2 weeks with a shocking forecast ahead. It is a relief that not only the UK has iffy summers but also the forecasts are often wrong!

Our rough route

Nelson- Wine & Abel Tasman
As if the wedding and post IM celebrations were not enough it was good to start the trip with some wine tasting. Abel Tasman is the smallest national park but worth the visit. Hugging the North East coast of the South Island you enter the park by sea taxi. Choosing a 4 hour route we were dropped off at one of the beaches. With limited development, the path really is peaceful and very picturesqe. You can canoe & camp but these options were not even contemplated.

Nelson - Hokitika
Hills, wind, windy roads and rain. Welcome to the endearing aspects of the West Coast. Trying to find a camp site in the pouring rain we were warned that they expected snow- this is supposed to be the late summer. Leaving the campsite it started hailing. A motel was the preferred choice. To be honest- we found a local bar and that was about all we found in Hokitika.......

Hokitika - Franz Josef Glacier - Fox Glacier

Glacier walking was perfectly timed with the end of the rain- though Shannon and I were woefully under prepared. Doning all the rented kit we heading towards the mighty glacier- one of only a few that are still growing (I will spare you the details). That is, with about 30 other people. The views really showed why that film (Lord of Rings) was made in NZ. We deliberately avoided going on film location tours to see random tree stumps.

On to Fox- a lovely small village at the base of Fox Glacier and overlooked by Mount Cook. A better place to stay with a great feel to it- a bit like a small ski village. It was also one of our nights under canvass. Not thinking that being in the mountains and near glaciers may indicate a cooler climate we settled for the night - we were freezing in Kerryn's childhood sleepover sleeping bags. Perhaps not the best choice after having to scrape ice off the windshield of our rental car.

At this point I should add that there were two tents- J&K needed some QT to themselves.

How cold!!! It was to temper the nights spent camping for the rest of the trip.

Wanaka- Arrowtown- Queenstown

All the normall activities of - the shotover boat ride through the canyon, river sledging, gondola, along with a stop at the Cadrona Hotel between Wanaka and Queenstown.

Arrowtown is a small town close to Queenstown and is the closest you will get to a historic place. Founded during the gold rush it has kept the old street feel yet introduced all the modern tourist shops- coffee shops and galleries.

The day trip to Milford Sound was long but worth it- not only for the boat ride but also the dramatic views to get there. It was however, where the sand flys came into their own. Unfortunately Shannon was the group decoy so the rest of us got out relatively unscathed!

Christchurch- Blenheim

The most english of towns in the south island, with the River Avon running through it. The touristy punt through the town was fun but a bit short and can not be compared to the trips in Oxford or Cambridge.

Heading north to Blenheim and more wine tasting, Hamner Springs offered a brief detour. Warm springs but most importantly water slides for the kids. After a few dumby runs, Jason was to win the time trial (though this was due to greater weight I am sure).

Staying at an Alpaca (soft-fur llama) breeding farm was the perfect base. When not wine tasting the update on the mating progress of Ferrari, the frisky male alpaca, provided much amusement. We think that Ferrari had lost his mojo due to the pressure caused by Syllvester, the "benchwarmer" or "first reserve" male, keeping a watchful eye on him and the two young ladies he had been given to entertain. Latest news is that Syllvester is still preventing Ferrari from performing his duties.

Hunters, Scott Allen and Cloudy Bay were but a few wines savoured. An evening at Whitehaven should not be missed.

Photos New Zealand

2007-03-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

These pictures show us in on an Abel Tasman hike (only accessible by sea taxis), hiking Franz Joseph Glacier, lunch at hotel Cadrona near Queenstown, boating on Milford Sound, free camping near Lake Tekapo by Mount Cook and at the Waitangai Marae with David and Ali Keys.

South Island with Kerryn and Jase

2007-03-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, we have crashed Kerryn and Jase's honeymoon (well, not really, they did a 6 month travelling honeymoon last year) and we are travelling in the South Island of New Zealand. As expected, we are recovering from the Ironman well. No training has been done, except for our outdoor adventures and still a lot of food has been consumed.

So far, we have wine tasted (essential in NZ), hiked around Abel Tasman, climbed Franz Joseph glacier, beer tasted (I prefer the Macs Sassy Red myself), river surfed, jet boated through narrow rocky gorges, lived a bit of history by visiting the Cadrona Hotel for lunch and going to gold mining Arrowtown. More photos and written experiences will come soon but we will upload a few from our river surfing trip as they gave us a CD.

Finisher Photos

2007-03-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

The Race

2007-03-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

What a day- a long race that seemed to fly by. Obviously by looking at our swim times we have some work to do.....

The Swim
It can only really be described as carnage with 1000 competitors starting at one time. Shannon and I decided not to take the 'racing line' as to avoid being swum over. It can get quite vicious with Kerryn incurring 2 fractured ribs within the first 200 meters of the race.

Shannon and I plodded along the 3.8km course to come out at 1hour 11 and 1 hour 13min respectively. Nothing too fast but certainly not the slowest. All competitors have a maximuim of 2hrs 30 to complete the swim. Jason and Elliott finished around the hour mark- two great swims for them both.

Part of the swim course runs along a local golf course. Needless to say there were more than a few golf balls on the lake bottom. Despite the temptation, and my time suggesting otherwise, I did not stop to pick any up for future hacks around a golf course.

The Bike
The longest discipline of any ironman- 180km. In Taupo the route is flat but exposed. Luckily there was no wind so very conducisive for a good time. Shannon and I are both very happy with our times of 6.09 and 5.51 respectively. Both times represent improvements from Austria so the time spent in Australia was certainly worth it.

I missed Shannon on the second loop and was concerned that something had happened. Much to my relief I was later to see her smiling on the run course, looking deceptively good for someone going to post a great marathon time.

The course is a two lap 90km loop. Riders have to stay at least 7m behind the rider in front to stop 'drafting' from occurring. Drafing is considered cheating- anyone caught is stopped for 4 minutes. Although generally good, there seem to be a minority of competitors that want to bend the rules as much as they can which is a shame.

In any ironman the bike is tough as you have to balance speed with stamina. It's very easy to get carried away and go off too quickly only to 'bonk' later in the ride. To bonk is to hit the wall- to loose energy, balance and mental determination. It's best to finish the ride feeling good with extra energy in the legs- afterall there is a marathon to follow.

The leading cyclists complete the ride in around 5 hours....they are frighteningly quick!

The Run
42km to go and almost there!
Getting off the bike is always a relief as nothing can really happen to stop you finishing the race. If you have to you can walk. With a 17 hour cut off time, both Shannon and I, had plently of time completing the first to disciplines in circa 7 hours.

But it hurts- getting the legs turning after 6 hours on the bike is tough. It's really at this point that the support really comes in to play. You are going slowly enough to appreciated the support and to thank them. It's amazing what a spur of energy support gives. Jason, Kerryn's, Elliots friends and families were fantastic, as were Tris and Emily. Thanks a lot! Biscuits, banana's, oranges and generally anything that was available helped us get from one food station to the next.

I had two tough stages of the run- 20km for about 4 km when mentally I wanted to walk and at 29km when I could not breath. I refused to let myself stop- more fearful that I would not start running again and more importanltly I wanted to run a sub 4 hour marathon. Having got through the two stages of hardship I got to 37km with 30min to go. A final spurt in the last 5km got me in at 3.57- possibly the most satisfying part of the day. As with the bike and swim however, plenty of room for improvement in 2008.

Shannon ran a 4.03 marathon- all the while looking very much as ease and enjoying herself. This was a great run and an improvement of almost 50 mins on last year, on a more hilly course than Austria.

The Race
Shannon & I both achieved our goal of improving our times, coming in with 11.41 and 11.09 respectively. Shannon came in 10th in her age group and 38th overall in the women's category. I came in 56th in my age group and 246 overall. In the first quartile but with room for improvement....

Jason and Elliott completed their first (and probably not last) ironman's with 11.14 and 11.53 times- both great times.

Kerryn, an elite athlete and experienced campaigner, unfortunately did not finish but took pleasure out of us having a great day. She and Jase are now looking foward to gettng married on March the 8th. I'm not sure if we could have worked, trained and raced an IM and then got married.

For us, the race is not about winning but achieving our time goals. At 16hours 45min, 15min before the cut off, we were all truely humbled. As able bodied people we completed what we consider a tough challenge. A Japanese athlete with two prosthetic legs from the knee down ran the final 200 meters to complete his first Ironman. At midnight, there were several thousand people cheering in a perfect stranger, whilst all sharing complete admiration and respect for a fellow athlete.

Shannon and I are now looking forward to travelling in the South Island, whilst also planning our next race....

The Event

2007-03-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

Along with Shannon and I, there were 3 other friends racing- Jason and Kerryn and Elliot. All Kiwi's we have got to know whilst in London. As the 2 foreigners the support from their family and friends was much appreciated throughout the day.

About 1000 competitors entered the race, with 39 countries represented. For the first time Shannon Phillis was entered as a Brit. There were 48 couples 'racing', and the oldest person was 73 years old. As an event it's a wonderful spectacle- people of all ages from around the world coming together to complete a race that has required a year's training and dedication.

The Pasta Party
Two nights before the race the organisers host a pasta party and welcome to Taupo. It's a fun night to meet some other competitors and generally relax. I use the term competitor & race guardedly as one a few of the actual athletes are racing- trying to win the age group and earn a place at Kona, Hawaii, later in the year.

The local Maori Iwi performed a traditional dance for us. Obviously we were all thinking about the race but the addition of the local history / culture is what makes the NZ race so special.

Mixed Emotions

The few days before the race are full of mixed emotions- excitement, nerves, anticipation. Entering the town of Taupo a few days previously made the whole thing very real. We all started to question if we had trained enough, worked on our bikes or run sufficiently.....Needless the say the time drags on a little but the thing you know it's only a few hours beofre the race- that's when you have to focus....

Staying focused
Before any race it's good to remain focused on the race ahead- especially such a long race. Up at 5.00 to prepare for a 7am start all was going to plan. Imagine the shock to fine the floor of the flat flooded within 5 minutes due to a leaky water pipe. It was a welcome distraction before the start.

Pre-Ironman Photos

2007-02-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

This marker is what guides us through the course!

Tim and Jase at the race start - looking confident.

Ironman New Zealand 2 days to go!

2007-02-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

About 3 years ago, Kerryn, my Kiwi friend and swimming tutor said "Let's do Iman NZ in 2007" and my first thought was "Doing an ironman is crazy but sounds fun (and anything sounds fun that far in advance)!" The seed was planted and we decided to do Austria in 2005.

It is a scary feeling knowing that you will begin the day with swimming with 2000 people at once (similiar to a washing machine), then cycling for at least 6 hours and running a marathon - so many thoughts go through your head "What if my bike breaks down" is the biggest worry on my mind. Since Tim and I are not the top athletes in our tri club, we hope to earn a bit of street cred by doing these longer races - and endurance races are definitely meant for us! It is such an amazing feeling crossing the finish line after all the months we spent training.

Our first race, we wanted to finish. This race, we would like to beat our time from Austria (as we did spend 7 weeks training in sunny and hilly Australia). But as we felt yesterday, the wind can kick up and slow our bike time down by an hour! So every race is very different.

We are at the tri expo right now and feeling very excited (the coffee we are having is giving me eyes of grandeur - we are going to conquer this race - grrrr!). We cycled part of the course yesterday, registered this morning, going to swim part of the course today and get pre-race massages later this afternoon. We have the pasta party tonight which is always great fun to size up the competition.

We will give a post race report when we can. Please send us positive thoughts for the race because it is a tough one! The race starts this Sat at 7am - that is 8pm on Friday night UK and noon on Friday for the Californians. Check it out here (keep your eye out for Kerryn Gardiner, Jason Bell and Elliot Keys as well as the Phillis duo): http://www.ironmanlive.com/events/ironman/newzealand

Final Last Moments Sydney

2007-02-21T04:42:00.000-08:00

Final Dinner with Lisa, Steve and Dave Vaughan at Maclean St Bistro

Last day in Sydney

2007-02-20T21:09:00.000-08:00

We had a nice catch up with Narelle and Kirsten (friends Shannon met thru Tracey in London) last night at the Sheaf in Double Bay. We also went to lunch with Narelle in Bondi Beach and had a quick glance of her flat. This photo is taken from her balcony. Imagine waking up every day to this view!

Lisa and Steve in Sydney

2007-02-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

We have visited Sydney 4 times over the course of our trip in Australia. Lisa and Steve have been great hosts in having us stay with them each time. Tonight is our penultimate night in Australia and are sad to be leaving. Last night we saw an amazing site: The Queen Mary 2 docked at Wooloomooloo wharf and the Queen Elisabeth 2 sailing into the harbour. It was fun to watch from Steve and Lisa's balcony as there were hundreds of smaller boats sailing up to it to get a closer look. What a rare site to have 2 of the most famous cruise ships in one harbour! My dad (Lee Miller) sailed on the Queen Mary 1 back in the 1960s on his 6 month 'round the world tour - he was carefree and single in those days so I'm sure that ship logged a few interesting stories!

Brisbane with Rich and Bron

2007-02-20T16:17:00.000-08:00

We visited Rich and Bronwin Dunks (friends we met in London from tri club) in Brisbane for a few days. We had a great BBQ and other fun dinners out on their balcony. They live in a traditional Queenslander house that had beautiful views of the area. Max, their latest addition to the family kept us entertained - who wouldn't love a 7 month old Golden Retreiver! The mornings consisted of training - 100k bike, 30k run and a 2k swim (by that time, we were too tired to swim). And lots of coffee/cake/fresh juice stops... We drove up to Mt. Cooth'a and had coffee/cakes.

Armidale & Nambucca Heads with Suz & Deon

2007-02-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

Our final leg of our Aus trip was to head north towards Brisbane. Taking us off the coastal route to Armidale, we met up with Suz & Deon Moss- two friends that have moved home having had some time in London.
Driving inland provided some different views & experiences-

Leaving the township of Scone ("the home of Australian Horses") the one street town was completely cut off from electricity following a sudden rain storm. I include ''rain'' as the area has been be in drought for last 4 years. The rain was welcomed but the cut off not- we ended up having dinner from a microwave heated sandwich in a petrol station. Not great for training or our health!
Speed Cameras- there are plenty on the roads which we think we have negotiated successfully. Watch this space!
Lightening Storms- entering Tamworth the dry storms were stunning if not distracting for the driver. The following sunset was stunning with lavender, red's and orange covering the skyline and defining the rolling hills.

Cycling around Armidale provided yet more rolling hills and good stamina work. Cycling with both Suz and Deon around the area they grew up provided a good work out and insight into the local area.
Deon works for TAS (The Armidale School) in town. For the weekend the whole school was taken off to the coast for start of year bonding. We were really pleased to be able to join them at Nambucca Heads for the weekend.

Both the staff and pupils were so friendly & made us feel very welcome through out the weekend. Shannnon and I stayed and extra night to relax before continuing further north.

Today we are in Byron Bay, about 2 hours south of Brisbane. As mentioned in a few emails, Byron is similiar to Berkeley on the Sea. It's a new agey, health foodie, surfer, backpacker and a spot of upscale resorty place in a nice little town on a dramatic coastline. The views from the lighthouse are amazing. We will post pics soon.

Ironman- 3 weeks to go....

2007-02-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

With 3 weeks to go training is going well as we feel we have been able to combine both travelling with our training.

We are getting in some good mileage on the big, along with some good runs. Unlike Austria we have been trying to get some good brick sessions in to help our run off the bike. Now we are not going to be breaking any records but hope that it will make the final discipline slightly less painful....we'll let you know if it works!

We only have 1 more week in Oz before heading to NZ for the final leg of preparation. Our main focus is really on the bike to ensure we have enough speed and stamina on longest discipline.

Shannon's overall comments:
Tim has managed to train better than I have - he's a strong man (grr grr). I have been constantly in a whiney "Maria Sharipova" state (i.e. I'm tired, it's hot, my muscles hurt, poor me) but hope to redeem myself on the glorious day of 3 March. Training has been character building in this heat as well as torrential lightening storms north of Sydney. It's been fun integrating other activities such as surfing, river rafting, hiking, and climbing large scary structures into our training regime. It has been great having time to train without working full time but travelling around searching for pools/cycling routes can be exhausting in it's own right. It's all an adventure!

Training Upate Feb

2007-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

Since arriving we have been training hard, combining all three disciplines with the training.

Swimming
It's amazing that nearly every town/ village has at least a 25m or 50m pool- most of which are out doors.

Needless to say I have been caught out once or twice and ended up with a rather red back from the sun. Having swam mostly in 50m pools, the 25m feel so much smaller.

A real highlight was the pool in Melbourne where they held the Commonwealth Games. 2 50m pools and a cheeky 25m for good measure. Shannon was particularly impressed with the Melbourne Aussie Rules Team when they turned up to train.......

Running
It's been a great way to see some of the towns we have stayed in. Running along a beach for 2 hours without coming across many people is lovely- if not a little tiring. Great for getting a tan though. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to get a tan I ran with only the heart rate monitor on top- a unique tan line has been created to compliment the standard triathlon lines........

Cycling
It doesn't seem as if we have found any flat routes for good long spins.

Having said that there have been plenty of hills to enjoy. The best was shared with Suzie & Deon in Berrigen down near Coff's Harbour. A 14km ascent, non stop with great views over the coast and national park. Unfortunately, a serious flaw in my cycling has been discovered (for Tim that is)- I am hopeless at descents. Any time made on an ascent is quickly lost as Shannon comes charging past. Something to work on I guess.

Climbing Sydney Bridge

2007-02-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

Certainly worth doing- once you get up there....a kind gift from B&B was to climb the brigde. With great views over the harbour and the rest of the city it was wonderful.

Shannon and I are not great with heights but after a little coaxing & support from the organisers we made it too the top. If you could see the other hands you would notice they weren't letting go of the rail!

Unfortunately we did not buy the rather sexy looking jump suits as our bags are a bit full already. ....maybe next time.

Photos Port Douglas

2007-02-04T02:20:00.000-08:00

Here are more photos!

There are croc warning signs everywhere! This one is on the beach near our hotel.

Mission Beach / Tully River

2007-02-02T23:32:00.000-08:00

Staying in another YHA it seems as if we had been riding our luck so far in this trip.

The hostel itself is in a great location overlooking the rainforest, only about a mile from the coast. As with Mallacoota (in NSW) there are plenty of quiet coves to explore and have miles of beach to ourselves. Coupled with rainforest literally falling onto the beach it is gorgeous.

This was the first YHA when I feel we really encountered the first 'travellers'. A fine array of travel kit and ethnic clothing- but no toe rings. I must have been ahead of my time all those years ago in India. Anyway- mid night table tennis went down well as we tried to sleep.

We were lucky to make it up to Mission Beach as the roads were shut be torrential rain shortly after we crossed the Tully River. Shannon drove like a legend and did well to get us there in one piece. All the rain was however great news for our River Rafting on the Tully River.

A day long trip down the Tully with 6 people and a guide padding away madly. Despite the guides best efforts we did not flip, though did loose one of our crew overboard. Shannon is the one up front with the light blue arms. *Please note the expressions in both photos!*

You could see the impact of Cyclone Harry, back in 2005, as the rainforest was not quite as dense as it would normally have been- the scenery and waterfalls were stunning- shame we were unable to get any photo's of them.

The photo's of the day should give a good idea of the day we had. Along with the reef dive the time in Queensland has been fantastic....

Port Douglas

2007-02-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

A lovely town a about 62 km's north on Cairns. Although the guidebooks don't write much about it - it's well worth a visit. It's a lovely little town with great restaurants and laid back feel to it.

There are a few things you should know-

January - Febuary time is pretty much the wet season, as well as summer....makes sense.
It's still very hot and humid- though the rain gives some respite from the sun, it's still hard work training. Very satisfying none the less.
Roads are cut off for days on end- luckily we made it across the River Tully (following in the wake of two large lorries) to cross the bridge. It is now three days since we passed. The road has been shut ever since.
Crocodiles seem to be quite prevelant. Visiting a nearby beach village and stopping to look at the beach, standing in a childrens play ground, we saw a No Swimming sign, next to a crocodile sign. Luckily for campers they were warned not to stay there- but it seems OK for the little kids to play on the swings!

Photos!

2007-01-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

Magnetic Island (Townsville) with Jacqui, Adam, and Jill. We are having Pimms on the beach at Horseshoe Bay.

View from the Blue Mountains

The Great Ocean Road - the 12 Apostles

Melbourne with Carol, Mick and Gavin. We stayed with Carol and Mick in St. Kilda. This photo was taken at a great Japanese lunch place in a stylish alleyway downtown. Melbourne has great shops down little alleyways - very unique.

Gavin, Tim and I went to see the Australian Open Tennis. Here are Nadal's biceps.

Tim and I went to Wilson's Promontory - a popular nature getaway for the Melbournians.

Our Itinerary + Ironman NZ

2007-01-30T17:47:00.000-08:00

People have asked what our itinerary is:

Australia until 22 Feb (next phase is driving up towards Brisbane to finish off our peak training from 5 Feb - 22 Feb)

New Zealand from 22 Feb to 31 March. We are doing the Ironman on the North Island (Lake Taupo) on the 3rd of March. You can follow our race here: http://www.ironman.co.nz/

We will be travelling in South East Asia (Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia) from 4 April (ish) to 30 May. Our plans are very open as we were told not to plan too much until we arrive in Bankok.

We will be in California from 31 May through 25 June (with a week visit in Utah).

Back to sunny London on 26 June, starting work on 2 July!

Melbourne - Sydney - Townsville

2007-01-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

Well you have probably heard of the first two- Townsville is a northern city in Queensland- but more about that later.

The 9 hour journey from Melbourne to Sydney was broken up a brief visit to Beechworth. Having been recommended to visit by some close family friends we were glad to break the journey up.

We now recognise that we have a few key weaknesses that prevent us from becoming quicker athletes......the joy of good food and wine. I think we showed great restraint to have only one bottle. We both feel that we had earnt a relaxing evening after a good ride in the hills. Again we were lucky has some of the areas around Beechworth had been underthreat from fires. Luckily most are now under control and the threat has passed with some unseasonal rain showers. It almost felt like home (both the rain and the locals complaining about the weather).

On to Sydney.....Steve and Lisa have been great hosts and have allowed us to stay with them. Fine wine and good food is never far away.

We now feel we know Centennial Park like the back of our hands- its a great park to train in- almost 5km in diameter. Having run 4 times round and then 10 laps on the bike the next day I wouldn't mind if we found another route when we are in Sydney.

In an attempt to stay fresh we have had a number of massages. A Chinese chop shop massage in Kings Cross left Shannon underwhelmed and me battered and bruised. I think I was stiffer when I came out.

Townsville- travelling has given us the chance to catch up with the numerous friends that have returned home from stints in the UK. It has been great to see Jacqui on her home turf and to share the beauty of Magnetic (Maggie Island). Gorgeous beaches and lovely walks made us both feel as if were were really on holiday and able to relax. To make us feel at home I got sunburnt again and shared a bottle of Pimms with our new Aussie friends.

Now that we have got over the shark phobia we only have to deal with the stingers (of which there are plenty) and the salties (crocs)......

Tomorrow off to dive the Great Barrier Reef and later in the week some rafting.

We are both pretty jaded after a 3 hour run around Townsville. At 32 degrees (90F) and high humidity it would be fair to say we weren't setting any land speed records. It was a great run and a great chance to see the Quarantine Reserve, Castle Hill and a local nature reserve.

Australia Part One!

2007-01-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

Dear All

Hope you are all well and Happy New Year to you all.

A few things to dispell the rumours-

Firstly- flying over new year's eve is not a raucous party. In fact is was quite a quiet affair- but probably sensible bearing in mind we were in the air for so long. Secondly- we left on NY Eve with torrential rain and arriving in Sydeny on the 2nd Jan- were greeted with torrential rain as we left the airport. Luckily since then the weather has been great- allowing Shannon & I to do all things we would like.

Unsurprising there has been a sporting element to our travels- cricket at the SCG and the Australian Open were both fantastic. Unlike Wimbledon they had to stop play as it was too hot and they had to bring the cover over the centre court to continue play. As for cricket- probably the least said the better but it was a fun day and we meet up with some friends from London that we have not seen for a while.

Training is going well and we are pretty much sticking to the schedule. The biking here is amazing- literally going for a 4 hour ride with less than 50 cars passing us. We are having to get on the road by 7.30 otherwise it gets too hot- however to have so few cars around is wonderful. We do however have to avoid the road kills- ranging from Kangeroo. wombatt, cats and birds. Fortunately the first kangeroo we saw was alive and skipped happily into the forest. We have seen a snake that was 'potentially fatal' from the safe confines of the car- the doors were locked and the windows securely up (we will never be accused of being country folk).

So far we have spent time in both Sydney, Melbourne and coastal towns in between.

Having never been to Sydney we loved running round the city to see the sites and get some great views. We also had a wedding that seemed to take in all the great views. A quiet night was had by all.

Melbourne- has a distinctly different feel to it. More laid back and quite chilled, with a smaller town feel. Both have been fun since we have been staying with friends. We are now on the Great Ocean Road east of Melbourne. Stunning views and we our first surf lesson later today....we will let you know how it goes.

In between we have been 'roughing it' in YHA's and a bit of camping. The YHA's here are really very good and allows us to prepare our own foods. Narooma is certainly worth a visit with surfing, protected bay and very chilled atmosphere. Wilson's Prom (@ Foster) is the most southerly national park on the main land. Only spending one day there was not enough. Perhaps next time on our travels- I wonder how many times we will stay that.

Anyway- hope this has not taken too long for you to read. We hope you are well and look forward to hearing your news.

All the best

Tim & Shannon