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Kristofor Mallegrom
Kristofor Mallegrom

Kristofor Mallegrom

Long term travel enthusiast entering a new phase of travel with a young family of three boys ages 7, 5 and 1. En savoir plus🇦🇺Melbourne
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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Great Adventure 2013Voyageur

    Melbourne (Start of Great Adventure)

    25 avril 2013, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Johannesberg South Africa

    18 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We woke this morning, sad to the prospect of packing and leaving South Africa. It's always sad to see a holiday come to an end, but this time seemed more difficult than ever, just getting comfortable and settling in to Cape Town. South Africa was a beautiful place, but it's here in Cape Town, that we enjoyed our stay the most. It's an awesome and charming city, that has just got under my skin, and it was even more difficult to leave this time, than the last. Even Nat, more than ever before seemed extremely melancholy to leave.

    Packed and checked out, the trip home went extremely smoothly thankfully. Our flight path was first to Johannesberg, clearing customs, flying to Sydney, clearing customs again, and back to Melbourne. The Joburg-Sydney flight was much quicker coming home, being just on 12 hours, rather than over 15. Clearing customs was quick and painless, and I was relieved to bring in 7 bottles of wine, along with a piece of the Drakensberg and my Porcupine Quill.

    The whole trip went smoothly, and as well as could be hoped. It was a pleasure to enjoy with my girlfriend Natalie, and was a few weeks to never forget, with many great memories to treasure forever. I can only look forward to the next adventure, coming in 2013    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Cape Town

    13 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today we were back on the City Sightseeing Bus around about 9AM bound for the 'World of Birds' on the other side of Table Mountain, near Hout Bay. The weather was cool, cloudy, with sporadic patches of sunshine from time to time. As an avian enthusiast, fond memories of this place from my previous visit were well re-lived in Nat's company. This place allows you to get up close and personal with the animals, with very little in the way of mesh fencing and safety precautions. They generally let you get in the cages, and within touching distance of the birds and animals. My favourites from last time were there, my beloved friendly owls, and a big black raven, which made amusing and crazy sounds with a proud look on its face. There were other animals here too, Llama, squirrels, antelope and a honey badger. A highlight was a monkey cage, where you were permitted to allow the monkeys to actually jump on your back! Very cool.

    The weather treated us well, being relatively pleasant and even sunny, until we reached our destination for lunch at Hout Bay, when the heavens opened up and rain came thrashing down. The restaurant here was very cool, called the Wharfside Grill, designed in the theme of an old-style cargo ship. With the weather so bad, we elected to take the Sightseeing bus next to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. All under shelter, it was a nice aquarium, taking us an hour and a half or so to wander through, the highlights being giant Spider Crabs and a very active octopus.

    From here, we grabbed a drink at Mitchells Tavern at the waterfront and then to dinner at the Bayside Harbour House. The food was fantastic, the experience only sullied by a vile, rude waiter who bordered on both racist and sexist. Lol, terrible. We grabbed a cab home for an overall enjoyable day.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Cape Point

    12 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Breakfast at Sweet Lemon was delicious, with cold meats, cheeses, fresh bread and customised bacon and egg meals prepared for each guest. With our tour driver Shanli having being forced to leave us early for another tour, we received a replacement driver, Adrian. By 9am we were on the truck, bound for Cape Point.

    What a spectacular drive it was, a little overcast, but clear enough, arguably the most beautiful scenic coastal drive around. From Cape Town, we drove right down the coast line, via Hout Bay and Simons Town, all the way to Cape Point, the most south western tip of the African Continent. It was just as enjoyable for me the second time, and Natalie loved it.

    Arriving at Cape Point, we were all given free time to explore. Nat and I went hiking, to all the various lookout points, taking in the spectacular views from all angles. We walked all the way down to the lighthouse, right on the tip of the point. We then jumped on the truck to the Cape of Good Hope, to take a quick photo. The serenity here was somewhat spoiled by the swarms of tourists.

    Next up, was a stop off at a Penguin Colony near Simons Town. Here, for a small entry fee, we could view dozens of little African Penguins, running around, just doing their thing. Amusingly, as we departed, a tourist registered a complaint with staff of the reserve, as to why Emporer penguins weren't available for viewing, despite their picture appearing on the wall on a list of all the worlds penguins. Some people are really, really stupid.

    Our final group dinner was to be at a Pub/Grill on the Cape Town Waterfront called Krugmann's Grill. It was fairly low key, this was not what you call a 'party tour group.' Our waiter named 'Clever' had a unique sytle and provided great service. There was no grand finale for our tour, sleep around 10.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Stellenbosch

    11 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    What better way to spend our last full day in Africa than on a wine tasting tour around Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Paarl? Pick up was again at 9am with the African Fish Eagle Tour Group. Stellenbosch was our first destination, blue skies and sunshine greeting us and arrival, that would remain through out for a beautiful day. Our first Estate was Zevenwacht, where we enjoyed a Cellar Door tour, four wines, and five delicious cheeses. Second, also at Stellenbosch was the Saxonberg Estate, for four more tastings. The wines here were quite delicious! We again enjoyed some free time to wander the city centre of Stellenbosch, walking around the streets, even prettier with the white buildings in the bright afternoon sun. We returned to Diamond Works, and rather than talk about Nat's ring again, picked up some fresh Tanzanite Jewellery in earring form!

    Next up, was a drive to the nearby wine region known as Franschoek, the Rickety Bridge Estate, for lunch and tasting in a pictureseque setting. Lunch was Pork Belly for me, a tasty one at that! After some photos, we headed towards Paarl via the Hugenot Memorial, a testiment to free religion, an influence brought about by the Hugenot family.

    We stopped by at Nelson Mandelas former prison, the Victor Vester Prison (in lieu of our inability to get to Robben Island earlier in the week.. lol), before arriving at our final destination for the day, the Laborie Estate in Paarl. Four more wines for tasting here, along with a brandy, which was not my thing. The desert wine here, a chilled Port, was arguably the pick of the tour. From here, 6 bottles of wine heavier in our luggage, we headed back towards Cape Town.

    Dinner for our final night was enjoyed again at Posticino. Pizza and pasta bake as something different, and equally as delicious, packed out for a Friday night. Sadly, we returned to the Hyde, for our final sleep before facing the prospect of returning home to Australia.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Hermanus

    10 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Ughh another early start. Thankfully, our 5.30AM Breakfast was to be the last early morning for us for the duration of our holiday. Clear skies and sunshine greeted us as we boarded the truck bound for Hermanus. After a fuel stop and brief random osterich encounter, we arrived at our accomodation, Baleens Guest House, around noon. Whilst awaiting lunch, we took a stroll down to the lagoon.

    With our optional whale watching boat tour not available (booked out..) we took the truck into the city centre of Hermanus. Hermanus is renowned for its shore-based whale watching, in fact it's supposedly the number one place in the world to be able to see whales without boarding a boat. So with clear blues skies (and bit of wind), the right season, and the reputation, a few hours of not a fish to be seen, had me extremely dissappointed. In time however, relief.. Whales spotted!

    A few hundred metres from shore, Two Southern Right Wales, heading towards us, accompanied by dozens of friendly dolphines, jumping up, breaching the waves alongside them. Awesome viewing!! Rather than catch the truck back home, Nat and I alone, decided to take a coastal walking track back. What our guide advised was probably about 4 or 5k, turned out to be about 12kilometres. It was a pretty walk though, and we managed to clear it in just under 2 hours, making it back for dinner just in time!

    Dinner was out again tonight, in the city centre at a place called Lemon-Butta. Another awesome meal, probably the best of the tour; DimSum, Baby Kinglipper (Massive for a baby, a popular deep-sea fish) & Belgian Chocolate Cups for dessert. Our wine was also particularly great, a white with red pepper flavors. Also very affordable, half the price we'd have paid for it back in Australia. We enjoyed some Olympic viewing at the lodge, before going to sleep around 10.30pm.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Tsitsikamma National Park

    9 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    A sleep in day, relatively speaking, breakfast being in the sunny but chilly courtyard of our hotel at approximately 7.30am. On todays agenda, was a rainforest hike along the Blue Duiker Trail at Tsitsikamma National Park. The trail took us from the roadside, down the mountain, through beautiful, thick and exotic jungle. The path was wet, slippery, muddy and treacherous at points, including a difficult river crossing before a waterfall (where we had to build a make shift bridge-crossing from logs). At the bottom, we came out near the suspension bridges on the coast. Dassies were spotted hiding in the bushes along the way.

    Lunch was at a beautiful scenic town called Plettenberg Bay, on the beachfront near Beacon Island. Nat and I shared a delicious seafood snack platter. Next, we took the truck up to Knysna Heads, for spectacular views of the coast and city.

    If yesterdays dinner was good, this was better, a trendy deli restaurant called 34 Degrees South on the waterfront in Knysna. The whole area, was a very modern and pretty esplanade. We shared snails, a steak and ostrich fillet along with a delicious Leopards Leap Shiraz. Dessert was mousse and strudel.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Knysna

    8 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    The rain continued this morning, but began to ease after breakfast. With last nights game drive being so dissappointing, we decided to go for another morning game drive, before leaving Addo. The rain was off and on, but viewing was much, much better today, including a great encounter with some elephant, getting so close you could almost pet them. We also managed to spot some Spotted Hyena, Zebra, Osterich and Buffalo.

    From Addo, we headed towards Knysna, passing over the Storm River Bridge. Next, we stopped for a walk at the Tsitsikamma Big Tree; a giant Yellow-wood, standing 36.6 metres tall and over 1,000 years of age. This walk was a testiment to the unpredictable changing weather of the Western Cape, starting in radiant sunshine, and finishing soaking wet, as a random storm passed us over within an hour.

    We headed now towards Bloukrans Bridge. On the way, we passed a disturbing scene, a horrorific car wreck with two vehicles. Clearly, several people here had been killed, one man clearly visible with his arm hanging out the window (possibly severed) and plenty of blood. According to collaborated views of people on the tour, it seemed at least five people had been clearly killed in the two cars.
    Bloukrans Bridge was the site for Bert and Nela to complete their 216 metre Bungee. The rest of us watched on, and enjoyed lunch and drinks.From here, we reached out accomodation, the Lagoona Inn in Kynesna itself. The rooms were clearly the most comfortable and luxurious of our tour to date.

    After watching some amusing acting on African TV, we headed out for our first dinner out at a restaurant since beginning the tour. The Quay Four Restaurant in Knysna, right on the waterfront. We enjoyed crumbed mushrooms to start, Nat having Crayfish, and me the Angelfish along with a delicious Durban White wine. For three courses and wine, the whole lot cost Nat and I about $60AU. We got our Olympic fix before heading to bed around 10pm.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Addo Elephant National Park

    7 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We woke at 5.40am, freezing, to find that the electricity was still out. That meant packing in complete darkness. Rain was falling heavily outside. After breakfast we said goodbye (with little regret) to the Wildcoast, and set off towards Addo Elephant National Park.
    Lunch was at Georgetown, a pretty city built in 1820. It displayed a combination of Dutch and English architecture as well as a few very nice cathedrals. We took some time to walk around the city, exploring a cathedral and noting a loud protest going on at the Town Hall.

    We arrived at Addo around 2pm, our accomodation here being small forest cabins located in the Main Camp. The camp was a fenced off area, from the surrounding game park, nearby to a reception, shop, bar and restaurant. There were also viewing areas on the camp perimeter, with a hyde near a drinking hole. We attempted an afternoon game drive, but with the rain well and truly persistent and steady, there were few animals active. For a place renowned for its elephant sightings, we managed just the one. We did manage to see some Jackal, Zebra, and a massive herd of Buffalo.

    Dinner at camp was lamb and vegetables. From there, Nat and I headed to the bar for some rest, enjoying some red and white wine, a chocolate mousse for dessert and some Olympic Viewing. We took one final attempt to spot animals at the waterhole hyde around 9pm, but with the rain still falling, there was nothing about. We put up our umbrella and made the trek back to our cabin to sleep.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Kei Mouth

    5 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We enjoyed our longest sleep in yet, awaking for breakfast around 8am. Our itinerary for the day involved exploring the beaches of the Wild Coast, first at Kei Mouth itself, and then the nearby Morgan Bay. We walked both beaches, exploring the rockpools and enjoying a milkshake at Kei Mouth. At Morgan Bay, we headed to the bar for drinks and some Olympics Viewing, away from the cold blustering wind.
    The beaches were both really underwhelming given their high reputation. Dinner was Kudu & potatoes. Power failed us around dusk, and did not return for the entire night. After dinner, we attempted to teach our tour guide poker by candle light. This did not go... smoothly and the game was essentially declared... VOID.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Ukahlamba (the Drakensberg)

    3 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today we enjoyed a cold breakfast at 7am. The days mission; to trek through the Drakensberg Mountains. Our guide Jonathan, lead eight of us from camp, accross the rickety Tebetebe Suspension Bridge. From there, we soon arrived at the start of the Emandindwini Trail, which would take us some 12-15km through the mountains, accross grasslands, rivers and through forests. It was a challenging hike, with rewarding views and a variety of environments. We even managed to spot some Eland along the mountaintops, and I souvenired a fallen porcupine quill from one of the forests. We started the walk around 8.15am, and arrived back at camp around 1.30pm, with little in the way of stopping for rest, sitting to eat a packed lunch in the grass along the way. I finished with plenty of blisters to mark the trip, how I missed my hiking shoes!

    At 3pm, we boarded the truck to learn more about the Zulu way of life, stopping at a nearby Zulu village. This was a great experience, getting to meet and interact with some of the local people, learn of their culture, and join them in their homes. The people were happy, relaxed and appeared to be pleased and accepting of our visit. The children were especially pleased to see foreigners and extremely excited at the prospect of being shown their photo on camera. They then broke out their poses and dance moves!

    Dinner was warthog and potatoes. We turned in around 9am for our last night in the Drakensberg mountains.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Mkuze Game Reserve

    2 août 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    I write this at 6.45pm, repacking my pack, in the Zulu wilderness, awaiting a 7.30pm dinner. My notebook has been damaged, soaked with mysterious stains, yet the previous entries are still just, barely legible.

    Today was a simple, yet enjoyable day spent entirely within Mkuze. Breakfast was around 9.30AM at a Bird Hyde not too far from camp, where we sheltered from the winds with some Hippos and Pelicans resting nearby. The remainder of the day to come, would provide much more spectacular animal viewing.

    We spent 2x 2hour sessions at a Hyde constructed over a waterhole in the Mkuze wilderness. This was an ideal and spectacular hidden spot to view all sorts of wildlife coming down for a drink. Raised just a couple metres off the ground and above the pool, you would get within metres of any animals that were thirsty, that is, if you kept quiet enough (a difficult concept for many to understand apparently...). Our first viewing in the afternoon, treated us to close encounters with Zebra, Warthog, Wilderbeast and Impala, along with many exotic species of birdlife. The dusk session proved to be even better! Previous animals returned for a drink with new associates. Giraffes squatted cautiously and carefully with spreak legs, reaching their long necks down for a drink. A large warthog male slept under the hyde, and a giant white Rhino came for a drink. He literally came within two to three metres of touch, cautiously drinking, snorting and searching for the sounds of noisy lookers on. Such an exhilerating feeling, to be so close to such a strong and powerful creature.

    Squeezed between those viewings, we took a dip in the pool, which was icy cold. Watching on were a pack of curious and friendly Crested Guinea fowl, grazing nearby. Dinner was bangers and mash, the sausages being Impala meat.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Malolotja Nature Reserve

    31 juillet 2012, Swaziland ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today was our earliest start yet. Breakfast SERVED at 5.15am in anticipation for a 6am departure from Lower Sabi, for our last early game drive of Kruger. Again, it was a relatively uneventful morning, with few extraordinary sightings. A few cool things to mention included a dwarf mongoose, some tree squirrels and a frisky Honey Badger.

    Before we knew it, we had left Kruger and were heading towards the landlocked Kingdom of Swaziland. The border crossing was extremely quick and painless. Once the formalities were done, we walked across nomans land and entered Swaziland, the only non-democratic nation remaining in Southern Africa, ruled by a king; Mswati the 3rd. The population here is around about a million people and its currency is called the Illangeni (on par with the South African Rand). Swaziland has the highest AIDS rate in the world at over 25% of adults. It also has the lowest average life expectancy, being 35.

    Our destination for the day was the Malalotja Nature Reserve, a game park with cottage accomodation in unspoiled mountain wilderness. We checked in and embarked on a 10 kilometre sunset walk through the mountains, treated to some spectacular scenery and spotting Bresbok antelope and occasional hyena tracks along the way.

    Thankfully, there were no leopard or hyena attacks, and we arrived back at camp in time for delicious roast chicken and vegetables for dinner. We were befriended and essentially stalked by the camp resident domestic cat, TC, who followed us everywhere, spending all his time camped on our cottage doorstep. What a beautiful place Swaziland was!    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Kruger National Park

    29 juillet 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today was the start of our most anticipated Safari adventure!
    We started off from Graskop @ 7am, looking forward to arriving at the infamous Kruger National Park. It was around 9am when the Kruger Gate appeared before us. The Park was opened in the 1920's and is essentially a massive fenced off area of land in the north east of South Africa where animals roam free and do as they please.

    Upon arrival we picked up a guide, with all the inhabitants listed, and would tick off each animal as we spotted them. Our safari here would be driving around the area, in our tour vehicle, stopping wherever we spotted something.
    We spent the day enjoying the park, seeing all kinds of Spectacular wildlife including; Impala (not so exciting), Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe, Hippos and many types of exotic birds . Eventually we even came across some female lions resting in the evening sun, near an area not too dissimilar from Pride Rock of the Lion King!

    A notable highlight was a bird viewing hide. Whilst the majority of game viewing at Kruger is strictly from vehicle only (getting out and walking prohibited), this spot allowed you access to view birds from a protected and hidden spot. The views were spectacular with dozens of creatures to behold, my favourite being the Goliath Herons.
    We soon checked into our chalets and enjoyed an afternoon game drive before calling it a day. Dinner was delicious home cooked ostrich and chicken meat.
    We turned in around 9.30pm, expecting to get up early for another game drive.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Graskop

    28 juillet 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    So here we are in South Africa! The currency is the Rand and 1 AUD = approx 7.5 Rand. The weather is cool nights (down to around 2C) and moderate days 15-25C with minimal to no rain. We emerged in the lobby @ 6am for breakfast. Our tour was scheduled to
    leave at 6.30. Our group consisted of 12 members, and was generally an
    older age. Aside from Nat and I, theres a Belgian couple around our age (Bert & Nela),
    an American couple (50s; John & Paulie), two Australian sisters (70s; Margaret & Lesley) and four non-English-speaking-Russians 50-80 (didn't even learn all their names; Olga and Zoya were two of them).

    We have two tour guides for our tour, Jonathan and Shanli. Our transport is an all-terrain style twelve seater truck with full length windows and roof windows as well.

    For our first day, today was not exactly a thrill-fest.. the majority of our time was spent driving, some 5-6 hours from Johannesburg, finishing up in a place called Graskop, near Pilgrims Rest. Aside from a few petrol and shopping stops, the first significant stop of the day was lunch at Pilgrims Rest. This town was founded in the late 1800's amidst the discovery of gold in the area. We enjoyed a walk through this historic town before a picnic lunch in the afternoon.

    Another memorable stop was at Mac Mac falls, an impressive 60metre waterfall dropping into a gorge. It wasn't far from here to Blyde River Canyon, the worlds largest Green Canyon. We stopped at Gods Window lookout, and also hiked on a rainforest track to some other viewing points, enjoying some spectacular views

    Our accomodation for the night was in Graskop, on the embankment of a cliff face. Here, was home to a crazy attraction called 'The Big Swing'. Their motto here was 'Conquer your Fears' or otherwise translated into 'Risk Dying.' Nat and I enjoyed watching some stranger participate. It was risky enough getting to the attraction, which basically consisted of jumping off a cliff with a bungee cord attached. The danger of the attraction was marked by a nearby shrine and chapel. I joked with Nat that the monuments might mark people who have died on the swing. This joke became less funny when we were soon advised it was likely fact...

    We enjoyed a BBQ dinner, watched some Olympics and went to sleep around 9.30 for another early start and trip to Kruger!!    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Johannesberg

    27 juillet 2012, Afrique du Sud ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Finally after months of waiting, the day for our African Adventure had
    arrived. We woke at 3.10am in Officer in preparation for our 6am
    domestic flight from Melbourne to Sydney, and then on to Johannesberg.
    There
    were concerns about how smoothly our journey over would go, but these
    were all put to rest. Everything went as plans, without incident or
    setback.
    The domestic leg to Sydney was over in little more than an
    hour, and before we knew it, we had cleared customs and boarded our
    Qantas Flight direct to Johannesberg. The flight was scheduled to take
    13.5hours, but that became more like 15.5 after a delay and strong
    headwind. Despite the flight being at only 70% capacity and us having a
    free seat next to us, and no-one in front of us, the trip didn't exactly
    fly by

    To our relief, even with our unexpected late arrival, our
    hotel transfer man was still awating us after we strolled through
    customs. In half an hour, Peter, had us at the Rivonia River Lodge,
    where we checked in, and crashed, exhausted.
    Nat got her first taste
    of 'Africa Time' when our dinner delivery order took some 100 minutes
    (when they advised it would be 45 max). We chowed down our slightly
    cold, extra spicy Nandos, and hit the sack around 9am, with an early
    start to our Sunway Safari Tour in the morning.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Africa 2012Voyageur

    Start of Trip for Africa 2012

    26 juillet 2012, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Voyageur

    Bangkok

    9 août 2011, Thaïlande ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today was the final day of our Asian adventure. Whilst it started terribly, it ended up being one of the best. The plan today was a tour to Bangkok Safari World Zoo. We woke at 6am, not knowing what time pickup was, having received no confirmation call or email from our booking days earlier.
    Even having called the company the day before, they seemed unsure. Eventually, they contacted us at breakfast, and after several delays, managed to organise a pick up for us around 9am.
    It was a great day from there. It was a private tour, taking us to Safari World (about 45minutes outside of Bangkok), taking us around the zoo, lunch included, and then a trip home via the jewellery factory.

    This was an awesome zoo! Part one was a drive in our own vehicle through an open-range zoo where the animals roamed free. There was plenty to see and they all looked healthy and happy; cranes, pelicans, deer, lions, tigers, rhinos, buffalo, bears and more.
    We then explored the rest of the park on foot, attending several shows including: Seal show, Elephant show, Dolphin show & Bird show. These were all awesome, its incredible to see how intelligent some of the animals are and what they're capable of.
    I've been to alot of zoos and animal related experiences over the years, but this was about the best animal interaction i've ever had. Elephants painted us a picture, we rode elephants, were picked up in elephant trunks, fed elephants, petted elephants, twice hand fed and petted giraffes, and even hand fed lemurs! It was an awesome day.
    Finally, we enjoyed one last swim at the Holiday Inn pool at night, and then back to the top of Lebua for our 'complimentary cocktails' at the Dome. We then ordered room service, dragged all our food out onto the balcony and enjoyed our own private dinner under the stars with a great view of Bangkok!    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Voyageur

    Sai Yok

    6 août 2011, Thaïlande ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today started early, at 5.45am. We had a busy day ahead, a tour taking us out of Bangkok. We rushed downstairs for our complimentary buffet breakfast. Still chewing, we were picked up by bus from our hotel at 6.30am. After several bus transfers, and complications we were eventually on our way, a 2 hour drive out of Bangkok.
    The tour group was catered largely for backpackers. We were the only English speaking people on the bus, others being French and Eastern European.
    Our first stop of the day was the memorial cemetary at Kanchanaburi. Some 6,400 people were buried here that perished building the 'Death Railway' from Thailand for Burma in WWII. The majority of those buried were English, Dutch and Australian. From here, we wandered through the associated museum for half an hour or so, which gave an account of what actually happened here. We then walked accross the bridge itself, crossing the River Kwai. Near the bridge, we came accross a promotion for Bangkok Zoo with two baby leopards. For just 100 Baht ($3.20 AU) Nat got the oppertunity to hold a baby leopard and feed it two bottles of milk (which it wolfed down delightfully).
    The next stop was elephant riding at an Elephant camp. It wasnt the longest ride, but fun enough. Nat had a blast! I felt a little bad for the captive elephants but they still seemed happy enough and in decent health and spirits. I couldnt say the same about the two monkeys kept there... chained around the neck, they seemed hyperactive, drugged, or both. Theres something disturbing about seeing a monkey trying to hang itself and twisting around in circles.
    Lunch was pretty awesome, a floating resteraunt on the river with tasty Thai cuisine. We then boareded little bamboo rafts, were towed upstream, cut loose, and left for the current to take us back to our starting location.

    After lunch, we stopped briefly at Saiyok Noi waterfall. This was a really picturesque spot for a picnic or even swimming! We didnt have time for the latter, and when I peered into a burrow to see gigantic wriggling crab feet, im glad we didnt.
    The last stop of the day was the Tiger Temple. This was fairly awesome, but rushed and over-hyped. The idea behind this place is a place for monks to 'look after' animals and nurse injured animals back to good health. They have volunteers from around the world helping here. The state of tigers was still concerning. They looked heavily sedated, restless and irritated, especially being splashed and forced to 'entertain'. We waited half an hour to walk among the tigers and have photos taken. It was a rushed affair. 'Sit. Touch. Smile for photos. Move along.' Photos as a couple would also cost 1000 Baht ($32AU) On top of the 600 Baht entry fee

    After a few photos i'd have rather just spend 30 seconds with the animal, petting its fur and feeling it breathe. This was not an option however.
    We took the long journey home, arriving near Ko Shan Road just in time for dinner. We wandered along, and craving steaks found a good place down an alley.
    We finished the day with a massage from Dr Fish! I'm not sure how many have seen my feet, but in their current state, they are a disgrace... made worse by extensive walking over this trip. The fish loved me, polishing off every bit of skin or blister they could find. Tasty! It tickled so much, feeling 100s of little fish wriggle between your toes and over your feet, nibbling furiously. Nat and I laughed so much, I think we attracted about 10 other clients,
    Today was a great day, and nice to get out of Bangkok    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Voyageur

    Bangkok

    3 août 2011, Thaïlande ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We awoke in time for breakfast with a few remaining members of our tour group at about 8am. After check out, we thought we would get in a little bit of sightseeing, a half day of activities close to the hotel.

    We booked a private boat ride from the nearby pier, which sped along the canals of Bangkok for about an hour, before dropping us off at the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace dress code was agonising in such scorching heat. Within minutes my jeans were stuck to my legs with sweat. It took the gloss off enjoying the spleandor of the palace. Fortunatley we ran into Leisha and Scott from the tour, which picked up our spirits enough to enjoy the palace for a couple hours.

    Here we picked up our things, and set off for the Lebua tower. No more tour guides or tour group, here we began the final stretch of our hotel. A bit of luxury, and 5 nights for Nat and I to enjoy Bangkok by ourselves.

    The hotel itself was quite stunning. We elected to upgrade our room to the Lebua Tower Club, to spoil ourselves for days in dingy hotels, and having to spend way less than expected over the course of the tour. The room we have is absolutely stunning. On the 58th floor, with balcony, lounge, king size bed, big tv, its awesome. The downside is, the cost of everything else in this hotel is extreme. There are three restaurants, with the main courses there being between around $50-150AUD. Upon arriving, we were asked if we would like a coffee and tea. As all our drinks for our room were to be included we accepted. That cost us $30AUD alone. So that takes us to the point we're at right now. We do get, included, unlimited drinks in room and between 12noon-6pm, unlimited alcohol and snacks from the tower club lounge.

    Oh, the other downside, is the pool here is closed.... for renovation due to emergency??? They did offer us a free drinks card for the rooftop bar, and access to the Holiday Inn pool nearby free of charge, with free shuttle bus, so we'll have to give that a try. The hotel itself seems rather isolated, with not too much in close proximity (eg. laundry, restaurants etc.). We'll have a venture out soon enough and see what we can find. Otherwise, a quiet night in and some available affordable room service (there is some cheaper food) may be a possibility. Tomorrow we're thinking maybe the zoo, maybe a swim, we'll see    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Voyageur

    Angkor Wat

    1 août 2011, Cambodge ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We were up this morning before the sun @ 4.45am. Today was our much awaited adventure to the renowned Temples of Angkor. It didn't start so well, our goal to see the sun rise thwarted by heavy rain from morning until noon.
    Aside from that, it was a memorable day. These temples were built at the height of the Khmer Empire between the 10th-12th centuries. It wasn't all about the Angkor Wat itself either. Many of the other temples we visited were equally or even more as inspiring and stunning. Arguably my favorite was the Ta Phrom. We arrived here at around 6.30am, before the hordes of tourists, and pretty much had this temple all to ourselves. Nicknamed the 'Tomb Raider Temple' after being used for the relatively recent Lara Croft movie, this was a place to behold. The long ruined temple is engulfed by the jungle, covered in trees, roots, vines and lost in time.

    Overcome by excitement, I ran off on my own, and before I knew it I was alone. No voices, no sounds, nothing but me and the temple. Half ruined, the temple is now like a maze. Doorways are collapsed and appear to lead nowhere, and other openings caused by decay, provide oppertunities for adventurous passage. Aside from the main temple itself, we visited a total of four others, the day involving about 10 hours of walking, a large portion of it in torrential rain.
    It was everything I might have hoped for, and different to many of the other amazing places of the world I've seen. Its not hard to understand why its considered a wonder of the world.
    Its mystifying to consider how this place must have looked at its prime. How the people would have been, lived and behaved. Wandering through such remarkable feats of craftsmanship and engineering really provided an encapsulating snapshot of a lost civilization.
    The final stop of the day was the Angkor Wat itself. A little too crowded for my liking, and a little rushed. What the other temples gave in terms of wonder and intricacy, the main event, the Angkor Wat made up for in sheer size and dimensions. It towers over everything else, and was a grand site indeed.

    By the days end, exhausted, feet soaked, Natalie and I grabbed a few hours rest in our new room before dinner and drinks at the nicknamed, Pub Street, finishing at the Temple Bar.
    What a day. Only one remains before our journey to Bangkok.    En savoir plus

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Voyageur

    Siem Reap

    31 juillet 2011, Cambodge ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    fter another grueling long bus ride, we arrived at our final major stop of the tour; Siem Reap. This appears to be the most modern and developed Cambodian city of our adventures. It sits on the doorstep of the Angkor Wat temples, and has been developed largely over the last 10 years. It is a major touristy city, everyone seems to be coming or going from Siem Reap.
    Our arrival day was rather uneventful. We checked into the hotel, dropped our bags and laundry at reception, and went for a tour of the city on foot with our tour guide PK. We strolled along the river, through the park and side-streets.

    What could have been one of the more uplifting moments of the tour went sour here in the park. There was a stall of birds in cages, where you could pay a small fee ($1US) to set one pair free. Sounded good enough. With birds in hands, Nat and I smiled and prepared to do a nice thing. Nats bird flew off happily enough, mine went up.... and then... down onto the ground. Hopping in fear under some bushes. What was supposed to be good luck, didnt quite turn out that way.

    We headed back, where I elected to rest up, and Nat went off with a couple of the girls; Rachel and Kirsty to the nightmarkets.
    We met up for dinner outside of our hotel, for a casual meal and cocktail and early night.
    A big day lay ahead at the temples of Angkor Wat.    En savoir plus

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