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Andrew Jerome
Andrew Jerome

Andrew Jerome

I was born in Newcastle, Australia but now live in Adelaide, Australia with my husband Ted.
I currently work as a Flight Attendant for Qantas, and as an ESL teacher.
I have traveled to over 68 countries so far, and am hoping to visit many more. Baca selengkapnya🇦🇺Adelaide
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  • Andrew JeromeThe New England StatesPelancong

    Collingwood to Thousand Islands

    8 September 2022, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today we bade Canada farewell as we crossed the border into the United States. Gretchen kindly made us eggs on toast for breakfast, which is much better than what we’ve been eating lately! Before heading off, G & D offered to take us to the Collingwood waterfront before we continued on our way.

    Since coming here, driving has been awkward as we sometimes lose directions due to the map roaming dropping out. There’s also so many speeding drivers! Today involved a lot of driving, so our first stop involved just getting petrol and eating at the diner next door. Before going into eat, I panicked when I couldn’t find my phone anywhere - the last thing you want to lose on holidays after your passport! The service station owner called my phone and Ted managed to find it trapped down between the seats. Phew!

    The diner was called St. John’s which seemed to have been struggling a bit lately. When the blackboard only listed three meat meals, we considered moving on but fortunately, the waitress had full menus. I did have to ask what “peameal” was though. As we continued through Canada, I noticed that several flags were at half mast. We realised why when the internet reported that the Queen had passed away. It was interesting to see that the Canadians still felt an affection for her.

    Before reaching the border crossing, we tried to stop and see the 1000 Islands tower hoping to take the elevator to the top but unfortunately it’s only open on the weekends. Next time! The border crossing was fortunately very easy, mainly because there were only two rows of three cars each.

    When we arrived at our accommodation, the receptionist Jolene kept apologising for giving us the “Fisherman’s Cottage” which was a bit run down but was otherwise spacious. It was given the name as it’s where the local fishermen usually stay. She also recommended we book a cruise of the Thousand Islands promptly as they sell out quickly. We managed to get a cruise for tomorrow morning before we depart.

    We were pleasantly surprised when we went to explore nearby Clayton and thought it was beautiful. The town had a whole selection of restaurants and cafes lining the waterfront, with Adirondack chairs to enjoy the view. We parked the car and walked around for about half an hour before realising we hadn’t put any money in the parking meter! We didn’t get booked though.

    After collecting some items from the supermarket we headed back so Ted could watch the tennis and relax before tomorrow.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe New England StatesPelancong

    Collingwood Day 2

    7 September 2022, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Gretchen and Dallas were both working today, so Ted and I had planned to explore the area by ourselves. We still felt confident doing it, even without our local guides! Gretchen made us overnight oats for breakfast, and our first stop was the town of Meaford. On the way, we stopped at a supermarket to buy some supplies (like food), as we seem to find it difficult to stick to our budget of not eating out everywhere we go.

    The weather was perfect today, so visiting Meaford was worth it. There were already Hallowe’en displays about, so we walked around town including along the river. We even saw some people playing Pickleball, which is best described as a cross between table tennis and tennis. Apparently it’s a big hit here in Canada!

    Our next stop was Wiarton, where apparently we have been before but I’ve unfortunately forgotten! The town is famous for Wiarton Willie, a Canadian groundhog who takes part in a local festival (I kid you not!) to predict if there will be an early spring. There is even a monument to Willie. The view in front of the lake was the perfect place to eat our lunch too.

    Dallas had recommended visiting nearby Sauble Beach which ended up being a surprise - a nice beachfront area right here in Canada! With its Australian weather, the beach was really welcoming, especially with all the shops and restaurants lining the street that led to the beach. We stopped for a coffee at an outdoor cafe and were impressed with the coffee and iced coffee which were both reminiscent of what we get back home.

    We had earlier driven through a town called Owen Sound which we’d liked the look of, so we headed back to explore it further. Unfortunately I think we’d seen the best of the town from the street as the back areas weren’t so attractive. We stopped into a games shop to buy a board game for Gretchen, Dallas and Ben for looking after us. They love games so it seemed like an appropriate gift.

    We had both liked Blue Mountain Resort on a previous visit, so we went back for another visit today. Whilst there we checked out some different restaurants for dinner, but Dallas suggested eating locally instead as the restaurants were quite pricy. Gretchen and Dallas were also both keen on getting take-away instead, and it ended up being a huge selection of food from a nearby Greek restaurant. We stayed up playing the game “Taboo” before heading to bed. USA tomorrow!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe New England StatesPelancong

    Collingwood Day 1

    6 September 2022, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Despite the fact we went to bed so late, Ted and I are still slightly affected by jet lag and woke up around 6am. Gretchen and Dallas both had today off and we started the day well when Gretchen made us pancakes - real pancakes! - for breakfast (unlike the pancake in a shake that I make back home). Ben was starting school today so after Dallas took him to school, we headed out for the day.

    When we arrived yesterday, Gretchen and Dallas had suggested an itinerary full of action such as hiking and kayaking, but when Ted and I said we’d prefer a more laid back time, today’s activities included wineries and cider houses instead. The first place we headed to was the Craigleath Provincial Park, where there were fossils embedded in the stone along the beach. The beach was beautiful and fortunately so was the weather.

    We next headed to the Georgian Hills winery, where we could enjoy a tasting of either wines or ciders. Coming from an area like Adelaide, it was wonderful being able to experience something different. We sat in the dining area and enjoyed some platters whilst we had a few wines however the wasps were a problem as they were attracted to either the drinks or the food platters.

    We stopped at a bakery next where I bought a vegetarian sandwich, which was a relief because the food on the platters wasn’t that filling. We then headed to the nearby waterfalls which were an easy walk, and very much worth seeing. After seeing the falls, we went to nearby Thornbury to try out the craft beers and ciders at a local cider house. I’m not generally a cider drinker, but they offered a flight of four different varieties such as blood orange, rosé and apple, which I really enjoyed trying.

    After having these few drinks in the middle of the day, we headed back for a nap/meditate before dinner. After a few days of restaurant and fast food, it was wonderful being able to have a home cooked meal for a change. Griffin has headed back to his family’s home so the four of us stayed up talking until about 10pm - earlier than last night since both Gretchen and Dallas are working tomorrow!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe New England StatesPelancong

    Los Angeles to Toronto

    5 September 2022, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After another mediocre sleep where we both woke up during the night due to jet lag, Ted and I packed up our luggage before making the trek to the airport for our flight to Toronto, Canada. Thank God we checked our itinerary - both of us had assumed our flight was at 2pm but we were actually reading the flight time for our trip home. Since our flight was actually that morning, I didn’t get time to shave before departing, as it was just a case of throwing everything into the bags, calling an Uber, and leaving.

    Ted had been keen on leaving early regardless as today is a public holiday in the USA, and he feared the airport and the traffic there would both be chaotic. Both ended up being fine although there was a lot of congestion closer to the terminal. The waiting area however was nuts, so we found a quieter area upstairs to chill before boarding.

    I bought a salmon roll to eat before departure which I’m glad I did - the flight was over five hours and was delayed due to the late arrival of the aircraft. One annoying thing was the lack of baggage space onboard - a lot of passengers (not us) had to surrender their hand luggage before boarding.

    The flight was really cold to begin with so we needed our jumpers for most of the flight. Ted spoke to one of the flight attendants and it ended up that she is married to one of the Hawaiian ground agents Ted knew in Honolulu. Of course once they knew we were crew everything changed! They offered us free alcohol, which we took for Gretchen and Dallas, and some snacks for the drive to Collingwood afterwards. We never expect to get anything for free, we’re just happy to meet fellow crew.

    Once we landed in Toronto, we collected our luggage and needed to trek from one terminal to the next to find the car rental office. Due to this and the initial flight delay, we left much later than expected but were then on our way! The drive to Collingwood was almost 2 hours but due to the change in time zones, we weren’t too tired even though it was late. We were starving though as there were no food options between there and the airport.

    We finally arrived at Gretchen and Dallas’s house around 11pm and felt bad because we had kept them awake so late! We were so grateful when they asked if we’d like something to eat, since we hadn’t eaten since early that morning! Gretchen’s nephew Griffin is also staying here, as well as his dog Lincoln. We saw their son Ben briefly before bed, as well as their new dog Biscuit. Even though we were all tired, we ended up talking until 1.30 in the morning.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe New England StatesPelancong

    Los Angeles Day 2

    4 September 2022, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    As much as we like our room and hotel, we didn’t sleep so well due to the door leading to the street which would slam every time someone entered or left! Otherwise we slept quite well considering the earlier jet lag we had. After having breakfast, we dressed more cooly than we had yesterday (thongs instead of joggers) before heading out for the day.

    Ted had suggested I go to the nearby Comic Con but since it didn’t start until 11am and crowd numbers were so low, decided to go to the Aquarium instead. I did have a peek inside the venue as we passed it though and felt a bit sad I wasn’t going! Today was unbelievably hot again, which we found out later was quite unusual for LA.

    When we arrived at the Aquarium, we found out they had special times you needed to reserve to enter so, since we couldn’t enter until midday, went to a nearby Bubba Gump Shrimp Company to get a beer and food, and savour the air conditioning. The Aquarium ended up being worth it - even though it wasn’t an economical choice due to the exchange rate, the place is listed as a non profit organisation, so we didn’t mind.

    I ended up taking a lot of photos, as the marine life displayed was amazing. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but we loved the tropical fish, jellyfish and seals the most. When we left, the temperature had dropped considerably due to a cool change. We decided to take an UBER back to the accommodation though - not because of the heat, but because our feet were killing us!

    We relaxed in our room during the afternoon to beat the heat, before getting dressed and heading out to dinner. Ted was keen to try a restaurant called Hamburger Mary’s which the FA’s we’d met last night had recommended. After walking through an interesting neighbourhood, we arrived at Mary’s and sat outside, which proved less appealing due to some screaming queens sitting nearby!

    The meals ended up being basically hamburgers, chips and drinks but the final bill blew us away, as it was over $70. We decided to consider that our welcome meal, and make sure we were more careful next time! Since dessert was too expensive at the restaurant, we stopped at a supermarket and bought an apple pie and Cool Whip to enjoy in the room. Tomorrow we continue our travels as we head to Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe New England StatesPelancong

    Los Angeles Day 1

    3 September 2022, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Ted and I both woke up around 1am as expected, due to jet lag rearing its ugly head! Rather than lie there trying to get back to sleep, Ted went to the hotel 24 hour gym to try and wear down whilst I typed up this blog. After a couple of hours, we managed to fall asleep again. For breakfast we went downstairs to use the vouchers the manager gave us last night - feigning ignorance that we only had one - and managed to score a free buffet breakfast.

    On the news this morning, they issued an excessive heat warning for Los Angeles, which will be here for this weekend whilst here. Even though we couldn’t book into our next hotel until the afternoon, we packed up and took an UBER to the area, as the airport neighbourhood isn’t that exciting. We’re glad we did - the area named the Arts District is a beautiful Art Deco neighbourhood of Long Beach. Our accommodation is equally attractive so after leaving our bags in storage, decided to explore the area.

    One surprise is how quiet it is here - it’s the long weekend so we’re assuming a lot of people have gone away. Today was extremely hot though - we decided to head to the Waterfront but, after walking in the wrong direction for a while, finally got our bearings. I can’t say I enjoyed the walk - the heat was oppressive and I had no water. When we finally arrived at the Waterfront, I bought three bottles of water from the nearest kiosk whilst Ted bought some sunglasses as he can’t seem to find his.

    Ted was keen on PF Chiangs for lunch, so we went there to relax in the AC too. Whilst waiting in a nearby Irish pub, I noticed there was a strange amount of cosplayers walking around before realising there was a Comic Con happening nearby. When we arrived back at our hotel, we really liked our room as it’s spacious and well decorated. The jet lag is really catching up though, as a simple meditation turned into a deep sleep for me.

    After grabbing some breakfast items from the supermarket, we headed to the nearby area for a Thai dinner. Ted then wanted to see one of the local gay bars but after a very long walk, we didn’t like it as it was overly quiet. We headed back to see some other venues before deciding it was too early, so we relaxed back in the room before heading out again. On the way, we met couple of British Airways FA’s who were similarly heading to the LGBT area.

    We finally settled on the Falcon Bar for a while, before the place then became way too crowded making it difficult to move. After a few drinks we headed back about midnight.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe New England StatesPelancong

    Adelaide to Los Angeles

    2 September 2022, Amerika Serikat ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Today begins our first overseas holiday since COVID turned the world upside down. Truthfully it has been something I’ve been somewhat apprehensive about since the world has clearly changed, but we are optimistic we will love it again in no time.

    We spent part of the morning at home assessing our options as, ideally we would like to fly in either Premium Economy or Business Class for the long flight. Originally we had intended to transfer via Sydney but after further consideration, decided to go via Melbourne instead. Brisbane was actually the better option but with only one flight available there from Adelaide, there wouldn’t have been a Plan B if the flight was cancelled.

    We had already taken Snoopy to doggy day care the day before so, after packing up the last few items and locking up the house, we took an UBER to the airport. The check in agent gave us our domestic boarding passes, and checked our bag through for the Los Angeles flight too. I bought something to eat before the flight in case there wasn’t a vegetarian option if we got Economy to Melbourne but fortunately, got Business Class anyway. We then had over six hours to kill and contemplated going into the city to pass the time. When we considered the cost of the transport and the money we’d spend on food, a smarter option was to spend the time in the Marhaba Lounge instead which included all your food, drink, internet and comfort for the one price.

    We kept an eye on the passenger loads during this time to see if our chances of an upgrade were likely. I went for a walk to try and find a Customer Service desk and, rather than be assisted by a Qantas staff member, she berated me for having a boarding pass as a standby passenger! I tried to explain that this was given to us by the check-in staff, but decided to end the conversation and find assistance elsewhere. I returned to the lounge, where Ted and I continued our eating marathon to pass the time.

    After leaving the lounge, we checked the loads for the flight, which indicated that there were two Business seats available, and we were the highest listed in priority. Yet despite this, we were given seats in Premium Economy instead! We didn’t have time to question this, but I was still grateful to have received an upgrade.

    The flight departed about 9:30 pm, so I stayed awake for the dinner service before trying to sleep. Unfortunately, my leg cramped during the night, so I didn’t get as much sleep as I would have liked! I also passed the time watching the new Top Gun movie, which was worth the time.

    We arrived in Los Angeles in the evening, and the customs and immigration process, as well as the baggage collection, was actually very efficient. It took a while for us to remember where the airport shuttles operated from, where we waited about 20 minutes until the shuttle arrived. We had needed to book this hotel at the last minute as we had planned to leave Australia originally on the Saturday. The hotel is the airport Holiday Inn which has definitely seen better days!

    There is a McDonald’s just outside the hotel, so we grabbed something small to eat to avoid getting hungry during the night. One thing we have really noticed is the availability of marijuana now - since it has been legalised here, the smell of it is everywhere we go. In our hotel, there was a shower running in the room next door for over an hour, so Ted called the manager who found a tap running whilst no one was there. He apologised for the inconvenience as the noise had been really loud, and offered us a free breakfast tomorrow. Yippee!

    We headed to bed around 10 pm, with the hope that the jetlag does not affect us too badly!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 15

    13 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Well today was a day and a half - literally! After a reasonable sleep, we needed to be packed up and out of our accommodation by noon so, after having breakfast with a group of Swiss and Germans, we headed out. As our flight wasn't until 9.30pm, we booked a day room near the airport to chill out before needing to catch our flight.

    We took an Uber to our next hotel and our afternoon consisted of a combination of sleeping, relaxing and eating our remaining food. As the hotel was near the water, we walked along the lakeside path (beautiful weather) for some very light cardio! During the late afternoon we needed to head to the airport and cross our fingers we would have a decent flight home.

    Unfortunately, it was about this time that the honeymoon ended! Even though check in was quite easy, the seats we were issued were really bad economy seats. We had tried for business and premium economy, and still couldn't figure out how we missed out as they were still listed as available. I asked at the boarding counter if we could sit elsewhere, and she offered me an exit row seat which sounded more appealing. Wrong! When I boarded, I was dismayed to see that most of the legroom was blocked by the protruding exit door - this seat was even worse!

    I spoke to the CSM who then offered us other seats in economy which were not too bad. Well that changed when a whole group of travellers who had been delayed from their previous flight arrived. Once again we needed to get our bags and move, and this was after door closure! The crew asked us to sit anywhere so they could just do their safety demonstration first.

    We were finally moved back to the seats we were in previously, and the sympathetic crew gave us some comfort packs from Business Class. After the aircraft taxied for about ten minutes, the captain then did a PA - there was an engineering issue we would need to return to the bay for. During this time, the crew offered drinks and snacks to the passengers.

    Well the engineering problem wasn't an easy fix - we ended leaving four hours later! We stayed awake for dinner but we were totally exhausted by this stage. To make matters worse, Ted's seat didn't recline so he didn't get to sleep as much as he would've liked. I managed to get a few hours of sleep but I think I spent most of the 14 hour flight watching "Modern Family".

    Considering all our previous luck with upgrades, I guess we were overdue for one lousy flight! Needless to say, it was a massive relief to finally arrive back in Australia. All things considered, it was still a wonderful honeymoon with many more good memories to remember.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 14

    12 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Even though we had a small bed, we still managed to sleep okay. Our room is located right near the dining room, so after a decent breakfast, we went out to do some sightseeing. We have been to San Francisco many times before, but hadn't seen the Painted Ladies, so we walked to see these nearby historic houses. There was a dog park across the street so we were treated to a view of the city, canine companionship and some wonderful photo opportunities.

    I suggested visiting Golden Gate Park which was easy to reach by bus. After hearing a lecture about local real estate from a somewhat nutty lady resident, we boarded the bus for the trip west. Ted suggested getting off the bus at a particular stop which wasn't quite as close to the park as we'd have liked. We eventually found the entrance and walked through the park, although we mainly just saw the Windmill before heading back to the Castro.

    We had good memories of a Japanese restaurant we had visited on a previous trip to San Francisco, so we went there again for lunch today. Unluckily the prices aren't as low as they were when we first visited! We had a pleasant walk through the Castro before heading back for a nap. Dinner wasn't too expensive as I had a supermarket pasta salad before we went out for a few drinks. Tomorrow is our big flight home!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 13

    11 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Ted and I had a long drive today to Dallas Fort Worth airport, and were really unsure what time to leave, to allow for the traffic and check-in time at the airport. We ended up leaving just after 6am so we could have breakfast before hitting the road.

    Well, the weather was an enormous surprise. After the weeks of heat both here and in Mexico, we nearly froze today! Wearing only T-shirts and shorts, the temperature hovered around 10 degrees for most of the morning. Even more amazing was the downpour of rain - it was an absolute torrent. I was grateful when the sun finally came up as driving in the dark on a busy freeway in the pouring rain was somewhat unsettling.

    The traffic all the way ended up being fine, and the car return was easy. When we got to the check-in counters though, a lightning storm had earlier shut down the airport, meaning there were mis-connected passengers all trying to get onboard any flight available. We ended up joining that queue as our circumstances were similarly confusing - mainly because we weren't sure we would be able to connect to San Francisco once we arrived in Los Angeles. Unluckily, even thought the Delta check-in lady was lovely, she still charged us for checking in a bag!

    For lunch we had sandwiches at an airport 7-11 whilst we checked the status of the flights from LAX-SFO. Ted decided it wasn't worth the stress and suggested we just buy full fares with Southwest. I certainly didn't argue! It was during this time that I noticed I didn't have my Ipad with me. Ted asked if I'd remembered to collect it from the security conveyor belt, and I frantically run back in hope that the staff still had it. Luckily for me, they did, but I was still freaked out about nearly losing it.

    Our flight to LAX was pretty uneventful due to the disinterested Delta crew (no free snacks this time!) but once we arrived in LAX, the weather was dry and warm. We collected our bag and walked over to Terminal 1 where Southwest departs from. After a lousy cheese quesadilla for dinner (there weren't many options), we boarded our short flight to SFO. Whilst the Southwest crew were a lot more warm and friendly, they similarly didn't offer any freebies!

    It was after Ted and I had disembarked and we were walking towards the arrivals hall that I realised I didn't have my passport with me. Once again, I entered a mad panic as I ran back to the boarding gate and the agent on the desk asked the crew if they could check my seat pocket. Fortunately they did find it, and I sheepishly thanked them and went back to Ted. Praise the Lord! I don't know whether it was because of the long day, but this was the first time I've been so absentminded.

    Once outside the airport, we caught a lift to our accommodation at the Willows Inn - a place we have stayed before and like very much. It was also the only place we found with affordable accommodation. Whilst the room was moderately small, we were more than happy with our choice. Ted headed down the street to get some groceries before having an early night tonight. After all the day's excitement, we were understandably exhausted.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 12

    10 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Before booking this trip, everyone said that Austin was the highlight of Texas. Well I'm sad to say that it didn't really meet our expectations today. Perhaps we were just unlucky, but nothing really thrilled us much in the City of the Violet Crown.

    Ted was feeling a bit dusty this morning after last night, so after having a so-so breakfast, I went back to the barber shop from yesterday. Unbeknownst to myself, I needed to book online first, but I only needed to wait just over half an hour before getting a buzz cut (perfect for this Texas weather).

    Our next stop was to the South Congress area which is known for hip boutiques, trendy lodging options and Austin-original eateries. It had an art deco feel to it, but in reality it didn't impress us that much. Our next stop was Barton Springs, a recreational outdoor swimming pool that is filled entirely with water from nearby natural springs. Well sadly for us, we seemed to arrive on the one day of the week when it was closed. :-(

    I then tried our next destination, Lady Bird Lake, which offers a pedestrian bridge with views of the city. Unfortunately, the two destinations our GPS sent us to didn't resemble any sort of pedestrian bridge - one was a power plant, and the other was some back road. Disheartened, we headed back to the area of our accommodation to have lunch.

    Even that proved to be a chore! We found a decent looking falafel restaurant and tried to park nearby (all the parking in Austin is expensive and metered). The meter machine did not want to take our money so we parked in a suburban street nearby. Despite double checking there were no "No Parking" signs, I still couldn't relax during lunch, wondering if our rental car was going to be towed away!

    After coming back to our room for a nap, Ted considered going for a swim in the hotel pool until he saw the state of it! We then walked back down to the bear bar for a beer, as well as another nearby venue called Cheer Up Charlies before Ted decided he would like to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We found one a few suburbs away at a local shopping centre, and we remembered why we liked it so much. The area also had a beautiful view of the Austin skyline.

    After dinner we came back and packed up for our early departure tomorrow. It was a shame that Austin didn't live up to our expectations, but we still had some pleasant experiences.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 11

    9 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    After a good sized breakfast at our hotel today, we easily entered the next freeway for our drive towards Austin. Unfortunately we were also heading in the wring direction for a while! But the freeways are easy to manage and we were not inconvenienced for long.

    We decided to visit Fredericksburg on the way, as it was promoted as a German town in the middle of Texas. I think we were expecting it to be like Solvang in California, but it wasn't quite the same! The town definitely did have its charms with parks and shops, and was certainly large, however it seemed to lack the same character as Solvang. My lunch ended up being McDonald's drive through!

    We are staying at a Super 8 here in Houston (the accommodation is so expensive!) but as the room wasn't ready yet, we walked down to a nearby diner for lunch. The weather was so hot! We also needed to visit a barber and bank and when we found two nearby we were happy (until we walked down to them and saw the barber was closed and the bank withdrawal didn't work). We have been having trouble withdrawing money from HSBC so we called them to resolve the problem before heading out again.

    As it was getting cooler, we walked to nearby Capitol Hill which we really liked, both inside and out. We walked downtown to see the Driskill hotel with it's elegant foyer, and the famous Voodoo Donut where we didn't want to risk coronary heart disease by buying anything there!

    We returned to our room for a shower and change of clothes before catching an Uber back downtown for dinner. We ended up going to a Sports Bar for a dinner of tacos before heading to a nearby venue to see the locals play shuffleboard and watch American Horror Story. We briefly saw a drag show at the pub next door before losing interest and going to a nearby bear bar for karaoke. Since the town wasn't exactly rocking, we took another Uber back for a not-too-late night.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 10

    8 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    This morning we packed up and headed to our next destination, San Antonio. Before entering the freeway we found a Denny's restaurant for breakfast before the long drive ahead. Although it nearly ended up being a lot longer, as Ted entered West Colombia (in the south) as our next destination into the GPS, as opposed to Colombus (in the west) where we were meant to go.

    The drive was about three hours, but we are quite happy with the hotel where we are staying, as a change from staying at an AirBnB accommodation. Once getting to our room, we walked 20 minutes downtown until we reached the River Walk. It was really nice. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was a really beautiful restaurant and pub area that has been built along the river going through the city. What I liked most is that it is actually under the city, meaning you don't have any traffic or other businesses taking away any of the ambiance of the area.

    We had lunch at a riverside restaurant which came complete with a mariachi band. We were going to go to nearby Dick's since the prices were decent, but there seemed to be a weird tradition of making the guests wear a condom shaped hat while they were dining. Since San Antonio is well known for The Alamo, I went back up to the city to see it. Ted didn't want to as he had seen it before, so I went and explored by myself.

    With all due respect to the USA, I didn't find it very interesting. I imagine it is a part of US history, but for a foreigner like myself, I didn't really understand the significance. Whilst I liked the historic building and gardens, I wasn't really familiar enough with the history of The Alamo to appreciate what I was seeing.

    We had seen enough sights for the day, so we caught an Uber back to our hotel. I did some laundry before Ted realised he had left his razor behind in the last hotel. We tried going to a nearby Chinese restaurant for dinner but since it was closed, we drove across town to a Walmart so Ted could buy another razor. We ended up buying some dinner there which was significantly cheaper than eating out again.

    Tonight we had an earlier night since we are back on the road again tomorrow, towards Austin.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 9

    7 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Today we had a full day in Houston, and it did not disappoint. According to TripAdvisor, there are not a lot of sights to see, so I suggested we visit the most popular one - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

    After a sleep with both air conditioning and a fan, we headed to a nearby Mexican restaurant for breakfast (it was the only place we could find that served breakfast!) before continuing onto the freeways to the nearby Johnson Space Center. We managed to get free parking to begin with (not sure why the man waved us through), and we had planned to spend at least a couple of hours at NASA. As it turned out, it far exceeded our expectations.

    Once getting past security, we started with the NASA tram tour which, after a significant wait, drove up around the Space Center. It reminded me slightly of the jet base at work - we saw Rocket Park, where one of only three of the remaining actual Saturn V rockets is displayed, along with other rockets that propelled space exploration. We also walked an elevated path through the Space Vehicle Mock up Facility in Building 9, where NASA astronauts train for current missions and where scientists and engineers are developing the next generation of space exploration vehicles. My absolute favourite though was seeing the ISS Mission Control, where Flight controllers coordinate with astronauts from the many countries that participate in the International Space Station program. Maybe it was from watching all those sci-fi movies, but I was personally transfixed by it all.

    After this we had some lunch and then headed back for the mission control center tram tour. At first we thought we'd taken the original tour again, but then ended up seeing the Apollo Mission Control Center from which NASA led the Gemini and Apollo missions, including the momentous first lunar landing mission and early space shuttle missions. They also played some audio from the day to re-create how the original visitors felt when they saw the original moon landing. Awesome.

    After this tour, we walked through a high-fidelity shuttle replica and the original shuttle carrier aircraft NASA 905 in Independence Plaza, as well as the Starship Gallery which showed pictures and displays of previous missions to the moon (including moon rocks and replica spacecraft). My favourite displays were Mission to Mars, where it showed what it will take to travel to Mars and live on the red planet, and information about the International Space Station.

    After buying some T-shirts as souvenirs, we left about five hours after we arrived and headed back to our accommodation. The traffic was not as bad as we'd expected and we ended up going back to Barnaby's for dinner again, as we'd enjoyed it so much last night. Being a Monday night, it was a lot quieter out although we did get to speak to some friendly Americans. We had an earlier night tonight since we're back on the road tomorrow.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 8

    6 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After another pleasant sleep in, we packed up our things and made our way around the state of Texas! Since we had a relatively long drive to Houston, we ate breakfast while driving. One good thing about Texas are the roads - there are so many freeways and once you have a destination in mind, it's basically just one road to where you need to go.

    We thought we would stop and have lunch at a small town on the way but when we pulled up outside of Woody's Smokehouse with meat hanging from hooks in the window, I was immediately turned off. We ended up going to a nearby Italian restaurant instead. Firstly though we tried another nearby eatery which was more like a meat outlet, but I had to photograph the sign on the front door, which advised guests that guns were certainly welcome in their establishment (a bit different from back home).

    The Italian restaurant was pleasant enough, although the majority of the guests were local folk who looked like they had just arrived from church. Before arriving into Houston, we stopped at a local Conroe gas station for petrol - that ended up being a debacle. When two of the pumps didn't work, it took ages to get our money returned from the harried sales clerk before we could go elsewhere.

    Houston was another ensemble of freeways although our accommodation was more in the neighborhood area. Houston is really interesting - as the city doesn't have zoning laws, you can basically find any kind of business in any neighborhood, as opposed to having a residential area, a business area and so on. We met our hosts who were quite welcoming - the room was very nice although the wifi didn't work.

    Even though it was really hot, we walked down to the local area for dinner and drinks. We had dinner at a funky diner named Barnaby's which we loved - they even had five different varieties of vegetarian burgers. Afterwards we walked to the nearby JR's and Eagle Bars - the whole area was very busy although we didn't really get to chat to anyone (a bit cliquey). After coming back to our room, we checked out airfares for our flight home - it looks like our best option might be a flight home from San Francisco instead of Los Angeles. We booked some standby tickets before heading to bed.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 7

    5 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After another good sleep (apart from waking with a sore shoulder), Ted and I met the host of the apartment Angel and his dog Coco, whom we fell in love with immediately (Coco, not Angel)! When we came to Dallas, we considered going to the Texas State Fair, but since we've seen it before already, we thought we could use our time to do some more sightseeing instead.

    We arranged to meet Monica today, a lady we'd met several years ago at a tango show in Buenos Aires. She suggested we meet halfway at a bakery called Panera Bread, which ended up being quite nice. It was great to meet up with Monica - she had provided us with a lot of useful information when we were researching our trip to Texas which was appreciated.

    We headed to a nearby Walmart so Ted could buy some sunglasses before heading to downtown Dallas. I was really hoping to see Dealey Plaza, the place of JFK's assassination in 1963 as we had not seen this on our previous trip to Dallas. Even though the day was very hot, it was a very enjoyable day out. The plaza still looks very similar to how it did back then, and the street was marked with the exact places where JFK had been shot. We could also easily see the famous Book Depository and Grassy Knoll made famous by the investigation.

    The Book Depository has now been transformed into a museum which presents not only the assassination from a historical perspective, but also provides information about the conspiracy theories and further investigations. It was presented as an audio tour which I found very interesting, and I also took a lot of photographs of the outside area. For lunch, we used the GPS to find a nearby Cheesecake Factory (Ted's favourite) before going back to relax in our room.

    We had arranged to go for dinner with Mike and Marco nearby, which was great since everything was walkable. It was still warm in the evening so we didn't need to dress up. We went to a nearby restaurant but the guys were unable to join us for drinks afterwards as Mike had been called to do a trip tomorrow. Mike was similarly good enough to pay for our dinner which we appreciated greatly.

    Ted and I then walked to the nearby venues, which included the Country and Western bar Roundup, complete with line dancing. In comparison with Sydney, it is interesting to see how well organised and popular the venues in Dallas are. There were also so many people out! After several drinks and meeting various locals, we headed back just after midnight.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 6

    4 Oktober 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    It was a shame to leave Puerto Vallarta today after a wonderful stay, but today we continued our travels towards Texas, USA. Early this morning, Ted went for a walk along the beach before we went to a wonderful beachside restaurant named El Dorado for breakfast. Ted then had a nap before we packed up (leaving our Mexican currency behind for the cleaning staff) and went to the airport.

    Just getting to reception was a chore because there was an electricity blackout in the whole neighborhood, meaning we couldn't use the elevator to carry our bags all the way downstairs! We then needed to drag our bags through the streets until we could find a place that had Wifi (it ended up being at Blondie's Bar) so we could order an Uber to the airport.

    I talked (probably too much) Spanish to our driver on the way before arriving at the airport. Despite best efforts, I was unable to convince the American Airlines staff to waive the bag charge this time! Ted broke his sunglasses this morning, so we had a look for some in the airport (unaffordable!) before boarding. We weren't seated together initially but the flight was quite empty, and the crew kindly gave us some free snacks too.

    Our arrival into Dallas was quite easy, as both immigration and luggage collection were speedy. We did however have some confusion at the car rental office, as the woman tried to convince us to hire a larger vehicle complete with GPS (at a much larger price) but we stood our ground and stayed with the smaller vehicle we had rented. We had arranged to catch up with Mike for dinner at his place that evening and, even though we missed one overpass leaving the airport, our drive was not too hard.

    We met Mike's partner Marco, as well as reuniting with his dog Storm too. Dinner was wonderful - we had artichoke and dip as a starter (something new for us Aussies), and Mike accommodated for both our diabetic and vegetarian tastes. There was no ice cream though as Marco had unintentionally eaten it all the previous night! We considered going out afterwards but as Mike is on reserve tomorrow, decided to try tomorrow night instead.

    The drive to our accommodation wasn't too difficult (although long - Dallas is a huge city!) and as we're staying in an AirB&B, we are staying in a room not far from downtown. We didn't meet the host, but we did see the dog. Dallas sightseeing tomorrow!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 5

    3 Oktober 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We both had an awesome sleep last night, mainly because we kept the bedroom door closed to avoid the noise of the surf (although I still needed to get up and let a bug out of the room). After getting ready, Ted and I wandered down the street to find somewhere for breakfast. We settled on an organic cafe with decent food and awful coffee.

    Sean and Aaron were heading back to Las Vegas today, so they kept their bags in our room and hung out until it was time for them to go to the airport. Ted dropped off some laundry for us, and did extremely well considering he can't speak any Spanish. We spent some of the day looking at the flights we'll need for our trip home but we still have time to do this later.

    Ted and I went to the Tacos and Guacamole Grill for lunch (we were the only non-Mexicans in the restaurant) where Ted over-consumed on corn chips and had a high blood sugar level afterwards! Since being away, I've received a few Optus phone bills I tried to resolve today (no luck) before we headed out to dinner in a nice air-conditioned Italian restaurant named La Dolce Vita. We went back to Mr Flamingo after dinner where we met some American guys from Dallas (also newlyweds) before heading back to our suite.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 4

    2 Oktober 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    As luxurious as our room is, you still need to keep the bedroom door closed to sleep, as the nearby surf can still get pretty loud! Once I managed to fall back asleep, Ted woke me up early again before we headed to Sean and Aaron's hotel to join them for breakfast. Whilst waiting for them, we enjoyed the view from the rooftop restaurant which had amazing views of the Zona Romantica.

    During the morning we relaxed on the beach, where I again had the opportunity to show off by practicing Spanish to any hawkers who dared to approach us! Ted and I then walked into the main part of town in the hot weather. There was not a lot to see besides a church and market area, but it was still pleasant seeing the neighborhood.

    Ted and I had a small lunch of fried calamari at an undercover beach restaurant before heading back to our suite. On the way back, we stopped at a local deli to buy some cheeses, chips and salsas, and invited Sean and Aaron back to our room for a swim and drinks. The pool isn't totally secluded though, as the girls from the room above chatted to us from their balcony.

    We took some beautiful sunset photos before heading into town. Some of the hawkers here offer pot or a massage although we didn't accept either offer. We headed to Blondies Bar where we met some Americans who we saw out again later. Feeling peckish by this stage, we went to a fancy, although dark, pizza restaurant for something to eat before heading to Mr. Flamingo.

    Ted was definitely tipsy by this stage but we met a lot of fun people and ended up staying longer than Sean and Aaron. When things started to wind down, we headed back to our suite for some sleep.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 2

    30 September 2019, Amerika Serikat ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Today I was happy when Ted woke me up (not!) as we had made plans to visit nearby Santa Barbara today for the first time. I had a simple breakfast of coffee and a croissant before we walked down to the nearby car rental.

    After all the formalities, we were surprised by the procedure where you can now pick any car within a certain price range, rather than being assigned one. We thought we would take Coastal Route 1 to drive through Malibu. It was an interesting place - even though it looks slightly run down, it does still have a certain bygone charm to it.

    We ended up taking the wrong road later towards Santa Barbara but it wasn't a huge problem because we stopped at a local 99c supermarket for some supplies, as well as having a good meal at a nearby Olive Garden restaurant. When we arrived in Santa Barbara, we were definitely impressed.

    I have been wanting to go there for a while and we loved it. SB is a beautiful historic town, with a colonial Spanish influence, art deco style and a seaside view. Our first stop was the beautiful Santa Barbara Country Courthouse which has an impressive view of the city from the Clock Tower observation deck, and colourful panoramas of Santa Barbara’s story in the Mural Room. I think what also made the visit worthwhile was the wonderful weather we had today.

    We then headed to the nearby Old Mission, set in beautiful gardens. Whilst the church is extremely modest, to me it represented religion much better than a lot of the grandiose churches we've seen around the world. We then headed down to the Santa Barbara Waterfront which was something of a surprise, because you could drive your car right down the pier and park at no cost. Here we mainly enjoyed the shops and stayed for a beer in the sun.

    We decided to visit nearby Solvang, which is promoted as a Danish style town. On the way we drove through nearby Los Padres National Park before arriving. Solvang greeted us with a view of two windmills and its own version of the Little Mermaid. The town was definitely charming with some unique architecture and parks, so I really felt the need to stop in a nearby cafe for coffee and a Danish pastry before returning to Los Angeles.

    We called Gretchen and Dallas on the way back, before stopping at Oxnard for dinner at IHOP. The traffic back was moderately busy but it wasn't too late before we returned the car and walked back to our hotel. We were feeling pretty exhausted by this time and went to bed for our (ugh) early start tomorrow!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeOur honeymoonPelancong

    Day 1

    29 September 2019, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    The honeymoon begins! After the excitement of yesterday, I think we actually both slept well, even though we had an early start to the airport today. As Ted's friend Danielle stayed with us last night, Ted dropped me off at the International Airport with the bags first, whilst he took Danielle to the domestic terminal to catch her flight.

    I had a simple breakfast of raisin toast for breakfast, before we headed to the gate. We had been requesting either Business Class or Premium Economy, but got the bittersweet news that I had only received PE, whilst Ted was seated in Economy (although with three seats to himself).

    I boarded the aircraft and was about to sit when Qantas movement control called me to say that we now both had Premium Economy! I wasn't sure what to do or where to sit but fortunately they had also called Ted who appeared a few minutes later. Now the honeymoon could really begin!

    Without giving too many details about the flight, Ted slept for some of the way whilst I entertained myself with the Inflight Entertainment and dining. The Cabin Manager, hearing it was our honeymoon, treated us both to First Class champagne and comfort packs. Wow!

    When we arrived in Los Angeles, we had the huge queue through immigration but fortunately, didn't need to wait for our bag at all. We took the transfer bus to our hotel but, since we couldn't check in yet, Ted suggested going to Santa Monica. We walked to a local 7-11 for some snacks and the clerk told us the bus to Santa Monica was "across the road". Unfortunately we thought she meant the main road, not the side road and ended up catching the bus back to the bus depot! When we eventually got on the right bus, we were on our way!

    We didn't do a lot in Santa Monica, just walk along the pier and have some porridge for brunch at a large cafe before taking an Uber back to our hotel. Fortunately they let us check in slightly early, and we both enjoyed a 2 hour nap. For dinner we headed to a nearby Denny's which Ted and I always enjoy but most Americans we speak to don't seem to rate!

    I contacted two friends: Mike (whom I met years ago on MySpace) and Monica (whom we met at an Argentinian tango show) who both live in Dallas to catch up later in the holiday. Ted had arranged to have drinks with an aviation friend John at a nearby hotel which ended up running quite late. We both went to bed with that typical Sydney-LA exhaustion feeling.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe Asian Christmas cruisePelancong

    Singapore

    29 Desember 2018, Singapura ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We were hoping for a later sleep-in after our late night but that didn't happen since the Captain did a PA around 7.15am. Ted and I had taken the option to walk off the ship without bag assistance but either way, we needed to be out of our stateroom by 8am. We packed up our final things before heading up to breakfast, with our bags in tow.

    I had booked a day room to use in Singapore which wouldn't be available until 11am, so we didn't rush to disembark. After having a ginger tea in the coffee shop, we left the boat and joined the long immigration line in the terminal. Unfortunately for me, this took a lot longer than planned as the immigration officer couldn't find the entry stamp in my passport. This meant I had to be taken into a back room where another officer gave me the stamp after a few minutes. Needless to say, I thought I was going to be there for hours.

    When we eventually found a wifi area in the cruise terminal, I checked the directions from the Mountbatten station to the hotel. Two train rides later, we headed off to find it. Google clearly lied - instead of 8 minutes, it took 20 minutes in the stifling humidity. Even worse was when the receptionist advised there wasn't a room ready. Fortunately we didn't have to wait too long before one was.

    The room was pretty grubby with an awful bathroom, which was expected considering it only cost $45 in Singapore! We walked down the road for lunch which was very similar to the meal we'd had in Little India - cheap and reasonably good. We didn't end up having a nap as we just needed a shower and change before Ted arranged a Grab ride to Changi airport. We had $16 in cash left. Fortunately the ride cost only $15!

    The airport was a whole other experience! We had been agonising over a decision about which flight to catch - the earlier one that had a chance at Premium Economy seats, or the later one that had a chance at Business Class seats. The magic word here being CHANCE, since things can change so quickly. Before making a decision, we went to a soup restaurant for dumplings since we wouldn't be eating until the flight.

    The airport check-in staff suggested we should try the first flight so we took our upgrade tickets and headed towards our boarding gate. As it turned out, we ran into Ted's friend Gaeton who we seem to bump into many times whilst travelling. He suggested we try for Business Class but we really stressed over the decision, as we were now upgraded to Premium Economy on the first flight.

    After clearing security and just as the flight was boarding, Gaeton then advised us we were highly likely to get Business Class on the later flight. Ted decided we should chance it, so we took our bags and ran all the way to the other gate. Nothing was still guaranteed yet but the agent changed us to the later flight anyway. Yikes!

    As it turned out, our gamble paid off. We were ecstatic to travel back home in the Skybed and the service was wonderful. Sometimes it pays to take a chance.

    Thus ends another wonderful holiday. Until we can save our pennies again, we'll be planning our next trip.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe Asian Christmas cruisePelancong

    At Sea

    28 Desember 2018, Gulf of Thailand ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    Today was our last day of the cruise before returning to Singapore, so it wasn't too big a day! After a reasonable sleep, our whole day basically involved relaxation, trivia, packing our bags and eating! During both games of trivia, we missed winning by one, but since we can't exactly pack more things it's probably good that we didn't.

    For the first time since Singapore, I was feeling ill today, so I'm grateful we didn't have any big excursions anywhere. At 7pm, we met our LGBT group for final drinks before we all go our separate ways. It was also a good opportunity to have the last beers from my drink package rather than have them go to waste!

    We managed to get one last group photo before some of us went to the Skywalker Bar for a few more beverages. Tomorrow we're back in Singapore, and flying home too!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe Asian Christmas cruisePelancong

    Koh Samui, Thailand

    27 Desember 2018, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today we had another independent organised tour, meaning we needed to wake up at 6.30am (which has been an early start on this holiday)! After going to breakfast, we headed to the Wheelhouse Bar to find Dave, the gent who organised our tour. Since we were standing in different parts of the bar, we eventually found each other, as well as the others who were from the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

    Our tender off the boat was quicker than usual as one of our group had Elite Class with Princess. When we disembarked, I quickly found the lady holding the sign with our tour group name, but lost the tour group in the process! When we eventually found each other, we were surprised to find the van didn't have enough seats for us all, meaning the guide had to sit on a cooler in the back whilst Ted and I sat in the front, sans seat belts.

    Our first stop was at Wat Phra Yai, otherwise known as the Big Buddha Temple. This was definitely popular with tourists all over the island, and there seemed to be a war of mini-vans trying to get a park. Our guide didn't give us much guidance on what we were seeing but it was still pretty spectacular to view and photograph. We managed to get some good pictures without too may tourists blocking them as well.

    Our next stop was Wat Plai Laem which I really liked. It is a big Buddhist temple created recently with huge statues of Guanyin (the "goddess" of compassion and mercy) and Budai in front of the temple. There were so many good photo opportunities here that I would've run out of film with a regular camera.

    We then drove to the Grandpa & Grandma (Hin Ta and Hin Yai) Rocks on the south east coast of the island, known for bearing a resemblance to male and female genitalia. There were plenty of hawkers here offering coconut ice cream to the large throng of tourists around. The Lamai Beach area was beautiful as well, and worth seeing just for the view out to the water.

    Our next stop wasn't one I was so keen on, as it involved monkeys on ropes climbing trees to retrieve coconuts. Even though this is common in Asian countries, it doesn't mean I wanted to see it. Either way, I did enjoy the coconut samples and coconut milk the guides were offering. Animal exploitation is something I don't support.

    Our next stop took us off the beaten track and was totally worth it. We went to the Island View restaurant which was located on the south west coast. There were tables placed on the beach enjoying a spectacular view. We really loved it. The food was also great, as were the beers that accompanied the meal.

    Afterwards we visited the Na Mueang waterfall which was also wonderful. If we'd had more time, Ted and I would've been happy to swim there too as the water was really inviting. Our guide told us it was the best waterfall on the island and she was right. Ted and I climbed to a higher viewpoint to get some better photos but I really wanted to jump into the water too.

    Our last stop was the least interesting - visiting the body of a mummified monk! Whilst it offered a unique insight into Buddhist and Thai culture, it wasn't really something that interested Ted or myself. Once we went back to the cruise ship area, we looked around briefly before taking a Thai boat that was operating as a tender, back to the cruise ship.

    We rested in our room for a short while before I joined the girls from Michigan and guys from Canada on the back deck for drinks. Ted and I then caught up with Chris for "Twisted Trivia" which was fun but left in the middle of the following game show which was pretty boring. Once again, our group went to the Wheelhouse for our usual catch up drinks regimen before heading to bed.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe Asian Christmas cruisePelancong

    Pattaya, Thailand

    26 Desember 2018, Thailand ⋅ 🌫 30 °C

    We would've enjoyed a sleep-in this morning except that the Captain decided to do a PA which was too early for our liking. I've now reached the part of the cruise (like before) where the thought of having a full on breakfast is less appealing than just having porridge for breakfast. Clearly you can have too much of a good thing!

    Today we'd decided to explore Pattaya on our own, so we waited in the Fusion Bar until we were able to disembark. Once again, the cruise provided the option of a shuttle bus for the half hour drive to Pattaya. After going through the visa and disembarkation process we were finally on our way to the beach side area.

    We were dropped off at a very fancy looking hotel which had clean bathrooms before we headed out. We really didn't have much of an itinerary planned so we just took it easy. Ted was keen to get a massage so after looking unsuccessfully through a shopping centre, we found a reasonably priced one that offered both a back and foot massage. Whilst getting the foot massage it was a good way to relax in air conditioning and use the wifi.

    The back massage however was somewhat different! Unlike the healer I had in Bali, it seemed a tad more aggressive. Also, we were offered an ENDING to the massage that neither of us were HAPPY on getting! We then headed for lunch at a beach-facing restaurant, where the food was actually pretty mediocre.Lucky they had beer!

    I think by this stage we'd had enough of Pattaya so we caught the shuttle back with Mark and Richard. Being back on the boat was more appealing so we got an ice cream and went to trivia (which we finally won). We can never have enough metal drinking bottles!

    We went for dinner with Chris and his family, who had spent the day in Bangkok. They brought back some sticky rice which I had with them. As the name suggests, it was really sweet so I couldn't really finish a whole serve. Ted and I then went back to watch "Crazy Rich Asians" on the in-room movie channel but I thought it was dull. My back is now hurting a bit from that massage - I'm hoping the pain goes and those Thai women haven't permanently damaged me!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • Andrew JeromeThe Asian Christmas cruisePelancong

    At Sea

    25 Desember 2018, Gulf of Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Merry Christmas to us! We weren't really sure what was in store for us as this was our first Christmas on a cruise ship, although Ted and I decided to get into the spirit early by wearing Santa hats to breakfast. It seemed like a great idea since so many people were wearing their Christmas attire last night.

    As it turned out, we were the only ones who were! But we didn't care as it was still the day for a Festive spirit. One of the first things I did this morning was call the restaurant reservations extension to try and guarantee a table sitting for our LGBT group. Getting this arranged for 24 people wasn't difficult so now I could finally breathe easy.

    Today was a nice cruisy (no pun intended) day so I went and relaxed in the coffee shop with a ginger tea waiting for the arrival of Santa. Since Ted and I had already purchased the Santa hats, I thought we should similarly get a photo taken with Saint Nick, as well as a Christmas present photo with two of the Princess Cruise hostesses.

    We relaxed in the covered pool area before having a nap and heading to Christmas music trivia with Chris and his mum Karen. We had less luck this time as the MC kept giving clues to the audience. One cool thing though was when the Captain announced we would be passing another Princess cruise ship which was being sailed by his brother, meaning they would send a toot to each other. We then went back to get ready for our Christmas dinner at the Pacific Moon restaurant.

    Even though they had asked us to arrive at 5.00pm to guarantee tables together, they didn't open their doors until 5.30pm. Thankfully it all worked out fine, although I sat at the table with all girls as there wasn't enough places on the table where Ted was. Just like before, the whole group of us then went for drinks at our favourite haunt, the Wheelhouse Bar. Tomorrow we arrive at Bangkok but since the drive there is so far, we're going to explore nearby Pattaya instead.    Baca selengkapnya

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