Hoi An : Made-to-measure Heaven

This small town lies in the center of the country and primarily offers custom tailoring. So don't you know we took full advantage of this! Day one we found a tailor who was recommended by our hotel. After sitting with the young girls for some time discussing what we wanted to have done, we went ahead and ordered.

Miguel decided to have two suits made in only the best fabrics. After taking all his measurements (and they really do a lot of measurements) we picked the fabric. The first was a grey pin stripe, 80% cashmere, double breasted. The second we chose to do in a classic basic black, 50/50 cashmere wool blend. We also got to pick out the fabric for the shirts of course. It was so much fun... as you can imagine I was in heaven here.

I had a cream colored jacket designed for me and a shirt from Vietnamese silk.
Just 20 hours later (day 2) we went in for our first fitting. The suits were gorgeous and only had small adjustments to be made. The girls just sewed a light top stitch to signify changes to be made. The process was incredibly quick when you think about the amount of work that goes into custom made clothing.

Over the course of 5 days in Hoi An we had a few more things made, as you just can't beat the prices. I had 2 pairs of shoes made. Miguel opted to do a thrid suit in cream which looks really sharp and will be great for all our upcoming summer weddings. Plus they cut us a really good "cheap price" for the third suit.

Justso you have sense of pricing for custom made clothing in Hoi An, we paid roughly $115 USD for the suits, including the shirts. I don't imagine you can even buy an off the rack jacket back home for that, let alone a made-to-measure high quality suit! We certainly spent a bit of money spoiling ourselves in Hoi An, but considering everything we had made, it was a steal.

We also spent a day biking to the beach, which we thought was just a few kilometers away. We were wrong. About 30 minutes into our bike ride at about noon, sweat poured down our faces and my rear began to hurt. At one point we were casually biking down the road when a couple boys came flying out rom behind some hedges. Seeing them I started to break as I could hear a lot of laughter. Sure enough a third boy comes running out full speed directly in my path. Breaking as hard as I could helped, but I still got him pretty well. A little shocked, the 10 yr old and his friends laughed histerically. I asked if he was all right and he seemed to be, though he had no clue what I was saying.

We finally reached the beach and it was hot! All the tourists take to the beach like any other, with frisbees and swim suits. The locals seize the opportunity to sell things of course. Sweating in my swim suit, we were approached by one girl of about 25 with a wide cone hat, 1/2 surgical face mask (commom here becuase of the pollution), 3 layers of long sleeves, long pants and gloves! We spoke with her for some time and learned that white skin means beauty. The hotter it gets here, the more the women seem to cover up. They do want their skin to darken in the least bit. Even buying products here, you have to be careful as they nearly all contain whiteners. So while us crazy Westerners are damaging our skin in search of the perfect tan, the crazy Asians are doing everything in their power to remain as light as possible. I find it interesting how no one is happy in their own skin. The grass is always greener...

Overall we did a good deal of relaxing in the little town of Hoi An. We had daily fittings, broken up by meals, the beach, and shopping. Miguel took a cooking class one evening while I read a book. We both enjoyed Hoi An a lot. If you are in this part of the world, you must come here, if for no reason other than the inexpensive custom tailoring.

Miguels cooking lesson

The Japanese covered bridge.

Phuoc Hien temple

Full commie outfit with matching fish

What up!? River dragon

Kristen doing her best dragon pose.

Its all good!

Just a quick post to let you know we are still fine and enjoying life. We are in the Mekong Delta and then heading into Cambodia today. Internet is scarce but we will write ASAP! Love you all!!

M+K

Rural Vietnam: Nimh Binh

I made the decision to stop in Nimh Binh, because it's a bit off the beaten tourist path and supposed to be a good place to witness rural Vietnam. It lived up to all my expectaions and we are so happy to have seen this quaint, slow paced city.

We woke early, having previously hired 2 motorbikes with drivers to take us around Nimh Binh to see whatever we wanted. The motorbike ride was incredible... we passed rice paddie after rice paddie, all being tended by the hard working farmers of Vietnam. Armed with nothing more than a pair of mud boots and a wide cone shaped hat to shield them from the sun, these men and women cultivate for long hours each day. It is beautiful to witness from a short distance, especially from the back of a motorbike.

Our first stop was the river of Tam Coc, where we hopped into a small boat. A mother daughter duo paddled us down a 2 hour tour of the river. Rice paddies lined the river to our right and jutting land formations filled the landscape to our left. The river was hopping. Their were many more boats then I had anticipated considering it is the off season. The daughter was 25 and she did most of the paddling, alternating between rowing with her hands and feet. About half way through the journey we approached the caves. This is why I wanted to make this trip. Before we knew it, the sun disappeared and we were paddling along beneath the caves of Tam Coc. It was a breathtaking experience, one I hope our video camera captures accurately.

Our driver on the Tam Coc (Three Caves) River

Heading into one of the caves
Inside!

Waiting patiently for us upon our return, we jumped behind our 2 drivers and headed to a near by pagoda named Bich Dong. The aging construction conveyed a sense deep religious belief. We passed burning incense and devout monks and we descended from the tall incline of the pagoda.

Entering Bich Dong Pagoda

Thirdly we visited the caves of Mue. Judging from the title 'caves' Miguel and I both expected to be descending into the ground. As we approached the area we saw nothing but stairs going up. Why this is called the 'caves of Mue' I do not know, as it is entirely deceiving. So we began to climb. And climb. And climb. And climb. The stairs were built into the rock, making them bumpy and uneven. We made our way up and up and up. Some of these stairs were nearly as tall as my knee, making the journey a steep and complicated one. I don't know that I've ever climbed so many stairs in all my life. Roughly thirty minutes later the end was in sight! We still had not passed another soul. Sweat soaked and exhausted, we reached the peak. The view was incredible and actually worth the painful journey. The peak contained a small stone sculpture, a set of tea cups, a lovely breeze and the view of a lifetime. We experienced a bird's eye view of endless rice paddies, tiny hard working Vietnamese, and the winding Tam Coc river.

So many steps!High above the Tam Coc River

From such great heights...

All and all I must say Nimh Binh has been the most rewarding city I have experienced in this country. For me, it represents quinessential Vietnam. Everywhere you look is a national geographic photo of an aged face framed by a wide, straw, cone shaped hat. The tired eyes of the individuals relay a life of hardship, and yet happiness. It is beautiful here, and the people are primarily the reason it is so.

Halong Bay- Truly amazing!

Halong Bay...oh yea

We opted to book a 3 day, 2 night junk boat tour of Halong Bay. Our first night would be spent on the boat and the second night on Cat Ba Island. And so after a cramped 3 hour bus ride, we boarded our junk boat. After lunch we traveled to a beautiful cave. Inside, colored lights illuminated the massive formations. The entrance to the cave overlooked Halong Bay and gave us a good sense of the area.

Busy bay at the entrance to the caves

One of the stunning formations in the cave

After touring the cave we spent some time kayaking the waters together. It was lovely and relaxing. The only problem was that our tour guide failed to tell us where to go when we were finished kayaking. So of course we assumed we would drop off the kayaks where we picked them up. After 30 minutes our aching muscles gave out on us and we returned to the floating dock where we had begun. Peering around, we saw no one from our boat. In fact, our junk boat was no where to be seen either. Five minutes passes, then ten. Miguel and I wonder if we should start to worry. There are only 15 people on our junk boat so we figure surely someone will notice we are not there and they will have to return for us. So Miguel ( I've been calling him this for weeks now so it's not so strange anymore) starts haggling with the local sales women for beer. He ends up getting 2 cold bottles of beer for 20,000 dong ($1.11 USD). Not bad considering these poor women have to load all their product into these tiny boats and row it out to their consumers! It is a hard life these people live. Finally, as Miguel and I really begin to worry about finding our junk boat, the rest of our party returns! Oh joy... we wouldn't have to sleep on a floating dock after all. Eventually our boat returned for us all as well. Where it disappeared to we will never know as our guide refused to tell us.

During the day's lunch hour we got to know a man named Udam quite well. He's a sculptor from California who is interested in art. Born in central Vietnam, he came to America with his parents in 1994, at age 23, to earn a better education.

We shared a lovely evening on top of our junk boat visiting with Udam and enjoying the surroundings. The moon was nearly full, illuminating the giant land formations that jutted out of the water all around us. We spoke of art, Obama, the USA, the economy and life over wine and beer. All the while our eyes feasted on the sights and stars of Vietnam. It was a special evening and one I will remember for a very long time. That night Miguel slept on top of the boat under the stars. I slept in our cramped, wooden room which smelt strongly of gas (had I realized this earlier I would have joined Miguel up top).

We awoke day two and after breakfast Miguel began snapping photos. Just then my vision began to get fuzzy.

"Miguel, I think I'm getting a migraine," I strained.

Sure enough, five minutes later there were large, black holes entering my vision. Immediately I popped 3 pills and sat down. Twenty minutes later the pain was hitting in full force. I just kept thinking 'Oh please not now. Just don't throw up. Keep the medication down and you'll get through this.'

About an hour later my head is wrything in pain. I want nothing more than to get out of the sun, the bright light growing brighter by the minute. I know I have to get off the boat. I see land. Unsteadily, we exit the boat, Miguel now carrying my backpack and his. Miguel and I are now separated from our group and taken to a rickety, old bus. Miguel explains to the new tour guide that I am sick and must go to a hotel at once.

"No trekking on Monkey Island for you?" the guide inquires.

"No, no trekking for us today. We must go directly to our hotel," my savior of a husband responds.

He understands and away we go on the worst, seemingly endless bus ride I have ever endured. The bus wreaked of gasoline, contributing to the nausea I was already feeling. The gravel roads were narrow, winding and relentless. Clutching a plastic bag I did everything to keep my breakfast down. I focused on breathing slowly and deeply from my mouth, as the gasoline smell was overpowering. I kept my eyes shut tightly as the sun was so incredibly bright. Somehow, miraculously we arrived at our hotel an hour later. I took another pain killer and collapsed on the bed into a drug induced oblivion.

I woke hours later to Miguel and a Vietnamese women unloading dishes filled with food onto the table in our hotel room. Groggy and confused I looked around wondering where I was. In a hazy, disoriented voice I asked Miguel what was going on.

Too cheerily he responds, "Look honey, I had them bring up your lunch for you! You have to keep your strength up."

Meanwhile my head aches dully and I feel as if I've been sleeping for days. I spend the rest of the day reading in our hotel room and trying to feel normal again. Thank goodness we ended up in a clean hotel room with air conditioning or I don't know if I would have made it.

Day three I wake up feeling almost normal and we reboard the junk boat to set back to Halong city. I'm sad that we missed hiking through Money Island, but relieved the migraine didn't turn out worse.

As it turns out our friend Udam told us that the monkeys there aren't the most pleasent beasts.

"You are basically ambushed from all angles by monkeys trying to steal anything they can get their paws on," he explained.

"The last time I was here I had to carry a stick with me to fend them off. My 10 year old niece was bitten and spent 7 days in a Vietnamese hospital from the infection. I hate monkeys," he later confessed.

The journey back presents more of the same gorgeous land formations floating on calm water. The only negative thing i can say about the view is the trememdous amount of trash the boat plows through periodically. It's sad to see such a beautiful area spoiled by humans this way. I find myself wishing they could have provided me with a net so I could help clean the polluted waters of Halong Bay.

Overall, I have to recommend Halong as it's serene beauty causes feelings of calmness and awe to surface. I only hope that a percentage of the tourism profits go towards cleaning the waters. This unfortunetly seems unlikely, as everyone is so eager to cash in on the tourrist trade here. I walk away thinking 'leave only footprints'!

Culture SHOCK Vietnam

Cho Dong Xuan Market

I imagine landing in Vietnam is like landing on Mars, totally foriegn. Never before have I seen anything even simular in all my life. Hanoi is intense in every way, a complete assault to one's senses. We landed on the ground after a 2 hour flight from Hong Kong. Deciding to take a taxi to Hanoi city takes 45 minutes and costs $15 USD. Being tired and ready to settle in somewhere, we decided that would be our best option.

We get into the cab, insisting on keeping our giant backpacks with us at all times, because we don't want to enable the cabbie to insist on more money before giving us our bags. So there we are, squished into the backseat with our 2 giant backpacks and bright pink boogie boards. Along the ride we begin to notice the lack of traffic laws. Each time we come up behind another vehicle of any kind, our cabbie tailgates and repeatedly pounds on the horn. Either the cabbie is full of road rage or things work a whole lot differently here.

Along the way we pass dozens of scooters. They are carrying fruit, vegetables, trees, even furniture along with the passengers. Family of four? No problem! Dad drives the scooter. If a toddler can stand, he/she does so behind the wheel, in front of Dad. Mom rides in back and carries any infant children while holding netting over their head. We think this prevents debrit from whacking them in the face as they rush down the street. If there is a second toddler, he/ she gets wedged in between Mom and Dad. While Mom and Dad are somewhat likely to be sporting helmets, the children are definately not. It is a sight to behold!

Getting into the city, things intensify quickly.

Finally our cabbie pulls to the side of the road and says, " You get out here."

This is not the address we have gived him.

Suddenly a man is rushing out of a building, "Hello, you hav arrive."

Lonnie is looking around left and right. Now we do not have reservations at this point, but we insist that we do. We have given our cabbie the address of 'The Elegance Hotel' and the building before us says 'G Star Hotel'.

"This is the wrong hotel," Lonnie explains.

"No, here. Here. You stay here," the random man persists in broken english. Meanwhile he's pulling at our luggage.

"This isn't the right spot. See, this isn't the right address," Lonnnie repeats pointing at our guide book.

"Yes, yes! This it. You get out here! You come wit me now!" He's now getting visibly aggitated and things are happening so quickly.

"Look! This isn't even the right street." Lonnie shows me the address we gave the cabbie and it's not even close to where we've landed!

"You hav reservation?"

"Yes!" Lonnie all but screams.

"Let me see!"

"No. Look, this has nothing to do with you! I don't have to show you anything!"

Angrily the man finally backs off. "We have no room for you anyway!"

Frusterated and exhausted, we turn to get pay the cabbie the 25,500 that we owe him.

"It's 40,000 dong," the cabbie states blankly.

"No, it is not. We agreed on 25,500 dong!" we insist.

We pay him the 25'500 dong and hurriedly get out. So great, here we are in Vietnam. Not where we want to be, but we seem to be in the city of Hanoi at least. Guide book in hand, we attempt to navigate our way to The Elegance Hotel. It is a challenge to say the least. The narrow, winding streets are cowded and noisy. The sidewalks are packed with parked scooters, making it impossible to use them. So we are forced to walk in the street, amongst the chaos until we find the Elegance Hotel. They are booked. Feeling tired and defeated we page through the guide book in an attempt to find something nearby. A man approaches us telling us he owns a hotel just up the street and can give us a room for $5 - $15 USD. We agree to look at it. He seems nice and speaks broken english. We arrive and check it out. It is less than pretty, but we are so tired. We agree to take it. Finally we collapse onto the hard beds in our new found mouldy, smelly hotel room.

"Welcome to vietnam."

So we set out to see the town. The streets smell of cabbage, fish and exhaust fuems. They are lined with families eating bowls of pho next to oversized steaming pots. Wanting to cross the street, we hesitate. Vehicles zoom by us left and right. Alright, we've read about this, so here we go... Glancing both ways we begin to enter the street. The scooters around us seem to be playing a constant game of chicken. Don't hesitate and don't make any quick moves! They could get you killed here. Don't be alarmed at the constant beeping of horns surrounding you. They are only beeping to let you know where they are. And so we crossed as calmly and steadily as we could. When we reached the other side I was exstatic. We made it!

From 5am to midnight, everyday all day, the horns are honking. Some of the drivers even get creative with it, honking while slowly decreasing volume as if they are drifting away. It is a central part of life here in Hanoi. Our new favorite form of transportation is cyclo. Cyclos are a small carriage attached in front of a bicycle. The bikes are driven by local men. You can go pretty much anywhere around town that you wish this way. We always bargian until agreeing to pay 20,000 dong (1.11 USD) It's great fun to see to the chaos and the people from a cyclo.
Everywhere you look people are begging you to buy something. Whatever they have, they are certain you need. Exploring Hanoi truly is like seeing a third world country for the first time. Poverty runs deep here and the sights and sounds contriute to the feel. I stand out tremedously, the city pulls me far out of my comfort zone. My pale skin seems to be saying, "Sell me something, anything, I am ready to buy and be ripped off." It's daunting at first, but I begin to get the hang of it. Bartering too, becomes easy quicky.

Miguel (Lonnie is now going by his middle name) and I spent a few days checking out the city and enjoying meals for $1-$4 USD. It's a unique and foregin place here. After two days of the non stop chaos, I am ready to see Halong Bay.

Ho Tay Lake

Crazy Traffic below Legend Beer

Kristen going to work

We heart Hong Kong!!!

View from the peak

So we have left Australia and after 12 hours we arrived in Hong Kong, which is one fastinating city!! It's a complete assault on every sense. We arrived late in the eveving. The first thing you notice is the incredible lights everywhere. It's like vegas with all the streets and buildings lit in amazing colors. The public transit system makes it a very easy city to navigate. After a few wrong turns we arrived at our hotel. It was in the middle of Kowloon (city across the bay of Hong Kong) on one of the main streets (Nathan Rd). We chose this hotel because it was directly above the metro station. For $77 we had four star accomidations. Quite a change from the hostel we had just left behind in Cairns for almost the same price. We made our way to the room and hit the sack early to make a full go at it the next day.


The first day we woke early and decided to explore the Kowloon markets. We began at the Flower market. It's basically one long street with vendors selling all types of exotic plants. Lots of beautiful orchids and chrisanthimums. What stuck out most was the beautiful bonzai trees for sale.


We then proceeded to the goldfish market. We traveled through blocks of vendors selling all types of fish, turtles, salamanders, shrimp, and other exoctic water dwelling creatures. The smell was pretty powerful there, but not overwhelming. From there we proceeded to ......... market. It stretches for about 8 city blocks. You can find all types of cheap watches, handbags, clothes, and knick knacks there. It was pure shopper heaven. Most items were designer knock-offs. We spent most of the day just wandering through the stalls. The items were about 1/4th the cost of Australia. Watches and t-shirts were starting at about $25 hk. When you take into account that its 7 to 1 Hong Kong dollars and you can haggle for almost everything, there are some fantastic deals to be found. It was the best place to shop I have ever been to. You can find nearly everything in Hong Kong. We had to subdue ourselves from buying boatloads of random goods.



After the market we took the metro to Times Square in Hong Kong. It's near the middle of the city and is bordered by tremendous buildings. Hong Kong has very limited space, so instead of building out they build up. From a distance it is awe inspiring. Times Square Hong Kong is similiar in appearance to Times Square New York, just not as big. Lights and huge advertisements are everywhere you look. We found a quiet place to grab some lunch and rest our throbbing feet. We continued to check out the city on foot until the nightly light show of Hong Kong. It was so great... 15 minutes of sky scrapers illuminating the city in a light show set to music. You really get an idea of just how emmense the city is at night over the bay. It was lovely. We love this city!!!


So we checked out a little restaurant filled with locals for lunch on our second day... what an adventure. Communication was a challenge to say the least. Kristen ended up with a plate of a single green vegtable at it was the only vegetarian choice out of over 100 options. I had a squid and minced pork baked in a clay pot. Clay pot rice is a very traditional dish. When we were first seated we were greeted with two cups of tea.
Kristen said, "This isn't the drink that I ordered". I told her I was sure it was complimentary as everyone had them. We both tried the "tea" and it wasn't particularly good. About half way through the meal the restaurant filled up. Because we were seated at a table for four people, we were pushed together so another couple could sit at our table. Immediately they picked their chopsticks and began cleaning them in the "tea".

'Uh Oh', I thought.
"Kristen, did you drink the tea?" I asked as calmly as I could.
"Yea, why? Nothing special," she responded.
"Because I don't think that was tea. Look around... everyone is using the liquid to clean their utensils."
"Oh my God!" she says as a look of terror spreads across her face. "I don't want to get sick!"


I assured her to stay calm. It was hot enough to probably have been boiling at one point. Surely it was sterile. Luckily, neither one of us has gotten sick yet. But can you imagine what was going through the minds of the locals... 'check out the crazy Americans drinking the utensil cleaner again'.



It really is just one adventure after another in this part of the world and the learning curve is ever present. After our lunch of rice and cleaning fluid we took the "Peak Tram". It takes you to an amazing view of the city. For a small additional charge you can walk out on a deck to catch the best view. Seeing the city from this height really shows you what a incredible place this is. Also how indcredibly dense the population is. Imagine a 500 sq ft apartment, then imagine a family of seven living in it. That's most of the population of Hong Kong.

After the peak tram we took the metro back to Kowloon for more shopping. We really couldn't get tired of it. The markets also included one of my favorite parts of Hong Kong, cheap street food! Approaching most of the stalls is like a scene from a horror movie. Unrecognizable parts of all types of animals strewn about with cauldrens of boiling liquids and coals surrounding them. I was pretty hesitant at first, but after a few beers it all looked good. I quickly got over my fear and began trying all types of items. The oddest item I became fond of was little scewers of tripe (cow stomach). Upon ordering them they place the scewers in boiling salt water for a few minutes and then drizzle them with some nuclear hot chili oil. My mouth is watering just thinking of them. It's the perfect bar food. Most scewers avereaged about .50 cent USD. After walking for 12 hours that day we hobbled back to our hotel. The following day we are off to Hanoi. This is truly a strange and beautiful planet. I can't wait to return!

Orchids at the flower market

Hong Kong at night

Nathan Road Kowloon

mmm...grilled octopus

Hungry for pancake chicken??

Another breathtaking view from the peak

So hard to say goodbye!

So we have arrived at our last day in Australia. Our experience here in Cairns has been on of relentless heat, oppressive humidity, and friendship. We've done a good deal of walking the city, cooking meals, and making good friends at our YHA hostel. We are now members which entitles us to discounts all over the world.

A few days ago we walked to the local lagoon. Basically, it’s a large man made salt water pool next to ocean. The rain broke for a few hours and we even got one hour of hazy, hot sun.

Yesterday we finally made it to the Great Barrier Reef! Arriving at the marina at 7:30 am, the rain continued on. We boarded the Silverswift praying the rain would break. The air was thick and moist. Immediately the crew greeted us, warning the passengers that the journey to the reef would be a wild ride. They provided us with some ginger tablets which would help ease nausea.

And so we were off. Up and down, left and right the massive boat rocked. With it did the stomachs of the passengers. Before I know it the crew was passing out barf bags like party promoters hand out flyers on a Friday night. As I glanced over to Lonnie, his head now between his knees, I could tell he was started to regret he the previous night activities. Late night cards and *goon (see below) with friends wasn't the best way for him to prepare for this day. Even I was begining to feel queesy when we arrived at our first reef over an hour later. Like true professionals we held down our breakfast.

Yeah, we were here! The rain magically ceased and a bit of blue skies appeared. We then donned our sexy, full body, lycra suits. Because jelly fish are prevelent this time of year they highly recommend everyone wear them. In we jumped into the murky waters below. Due to the recent cyclone just two days prior, the water was not as clear as usual. We were still able to see the vibrant beauty of the reef and marine life though. I love snorkling. Becoming one with the schools of fish is a feeling of freedom. We saw the tiny bright blue fish, zebra fish, angels fish, jelly fish and more. All of them swimming above a plethera of colorful coral, deep in texture and diversity. We even saw two grey sharks below us, probably six feet in length.

After this, the boat brought us to two more sights. We enjoyed a buffet lunch at the 2nd sight but visibility was awful. The third sight was not as good as the first. Visibility was probably only 8' feet there, again because of the cyclone.


After a scenic journey back from the reef we returned to the wharf and then to our hostels. It was back to what had become business as usual for us. Due to the rain in Queensland many of the roads were flooded. That meant pretty much that everyone was stuck in Cairns. Therefore we met alot of cool people and made some good friends. Every night we would meet in the common area. It was usually us and Berta, Sandra, and Greg. We would share travel stories and play cards over *goon. Berta and Sandra, two 22 year old girls were from Barcelona, one of Lonnie and my favorite cities in the world. Sandra is an incredibly animated girl who speaks with her whole body. It seems as if the words are dancing out of her through the tips of her fingers and the top of her head. All the while she maintains a certain cuteness as she speaks. Berta is another cute girl who maintains more of a bohemian hippy vibe. She is in Australia trying to improve her English. Even though we don't always understand each other verbally we seem to still communicate rather well. We shared hours of fun with these girls and today they have gone to Adelaide, then onto Tazmania to finish traveling before beginning at the University of Sydney later next month. We will miss them immensely.

Greg is another character we have become good friends with. He is a tall bear of a guy who’s sizable stature seems contradictory to his teddy bear persona. He’s very intelligent and witty. He comes from a tiny village in Southern England. He speaks exptremely proper english and his accent adds to this beautifully. It’s a lovely addition to his sense of humor as well. He introduced Lonnie to such English delights as proper flap jacks (which we made late one night after another goon session) as well as fruit cake. Oddly enough, it seems we have seen fruit cake many times but neither of us can remember eating it. At 30 years of age he is traveling alone. His work as an engineer has sent him all over the globe. He is very well traveled. Today he’s off to Singapore and then home. He was anxious to get back to England after 6 months. Hopefully we will maintain contact with this delightful gentleman.


We have also met a young girl from Japan. Her name is Shizue, and she is an adorable girl who is on a work exchange program from Tokyo. She worked in Tokyo for 6 years as a receptionist and was on here way to Townsville to do the same. I don't know if she is prepared for what she will find there. Tokyo and Townsville have nothing in common. Hopefully she wont find it too difficult. She is planning on moving to New York in a year. She says she will come visit us in Minneapolis. We will be looking forward to it.


What is most fascinating to me is the sheer number of single young girls, mostly ages 19-27, who are traveling alone for 3-9 months. In fact, outside of the Polish couple we met, everyone here is traveling between 3-12 months.


This may be the end of our hostel adventures and the constant mix of accents, languages, and backgrounds will certainly be missed. It’s a trip to be constantly surrounded by so many cultures. This is one of the things that most impresses us with this country. It is one of the most diverse places we have been. Walking down the street in Melbourne or any major city here, you will hear a different language being spoken every few feet. I’s fascinating to listen to the views and opinions from souls through out the world. Embracing our new friends tightly, we sadly spoke our goodbyes. I miss them already! I've always believed that traveling is the best form of education. Being here has enforced that tremendously. Goodbye Cairns! Goodbye Australia. New Friends, you will be missed! Until we meet again.

*goon- goon is the cheapest of the cheap wines. It comes in a box of 4-4.5 liters. If you are paying more then three dollars a liter it isn't considered goon. Its usually $10 a box. We were first introduced to it at a rest stop outside of Byron Bay where we were staying. In Cairns we drank it every night at the hostel. It is the drink of choice for backpackers. The custom is to take the silver bag of wine out of the box and give it a few good slaps before drinking. The reason for this is that they say "anything this bad has to be slapped!" -

Beautiful downtown Rockhampton

Eating Australia ( Emu, Kangaroo, Crocodile, Baramundi)

The Ladies of Spain (Sandra and Berta)

Goon...bad to the last drop!

Sandra and Greg