tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17329799227130325622024-03-06T09:04:04.837+00:00Janice Horton - author of romantic adventure novelsJanicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-88929221019609705082018-05-14T20:30:00.000+01:002020-02-26T12:54:50.873+00:00I HAVE MOVED TO A NEW WEBSITE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://thebackpackinghousewife.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYkyeKYJY642V_8RYShM52xhdjQvwWPGv4JGcfO2Ns2wdNXJjpKTz_joVtUh4MtkMhvabfKa8BnVwdCfNIVclSWfKTud4jW9K2f0Mn1EmJRqbkgc8tkiwF4niExBy1H67dEC2swvPc90/s320/The+Backpacking+Housewife+LOGO+png.png" title="The Backpacking Housewife Dotcom" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://thebackpackinghousewife.com/" target="_blank">THIS IS THE LINK</a></b></h2>
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<b>See you there!</b></div>
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<i>Love, Janice xx</i></div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-50958682321097105182018-05-14T20:20:00.000+01:002018-05-14T21:01:25.552+01:00The Backpacking Housewife - Cover Reveal day!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<em>It's Cover Reveal Day!</em></div>
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<strong>Today is a dream come true! </strong>Last summer I was traveling in Asia while also working on a new romantic adventure novel entitled <em>Island In The Sun</em> when I was approached by Charlotte Ledger, the Editorial Director of Harper Impulse to write for them. Harper Impulse is the romance imprint of Harper Collins UK Publishers in London and Harper Collins is one of the world's largest publishing companies - one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Hachette, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster. (Source <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HarperCollins">Wikipedia</a>) Well, you can imagine how totally bowled over and thrilled I was!</div>
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I’ve been working as a published writer since 2004. Since then I’ve written a grand total of thirteen titles. <strong>The Backpacking Housewife is lucky number thirteen!</strong></div>
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I am told it’s unusual these days to be given a contract from a major publishing house before the book is actually written. I found my initial euphoria at being offered such a fabulous opportunity tempered with trepidation over signing a deal with such a tight deadline to meet with the publishing schedule. I knew that travelling around Asia (we were in Vietnam at the time) and not having a daily routine wasn’t going to be conducive to meeting such a deadline.</div>
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<strong>So my husband and I did something radical.</strong> We decided to stop travelling for a while and we registered with a homesitter’s website – listing ourselves as available to housesit for several months. A UK couple with a property in South West France got in touch with us and after several emails and a Skype video call we were offered the assignment to care for a beautiful 500-year-old chateau, a couple of gites, and a cat called Mr Smudge. We immediately booked several connecting flights from Asia to Bordeaux France.</div>
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<strong>And, in that beautiful chateau in October 2017, I started work on The Backpacking Housewife. </strong>As I was writing a work of fiction that was loosely based on my own travel experiences I wanted to be sure that my commissioning editor was in full approval of my ideas for the book. So, I actually wrote three completely different versions of the all-important first three chapters for her consideration. Only once we had agreed on how the story should start did I begin work on completing the manuscript.</div>
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I then worked every day but to a weekly word count. This allowed a bit of flexibility in the daily writing schedule and also made sure I could complete the manuscript on time and to the length required. It wasn’t easy. I had good days and bad days. But, eventually, I finished the story and I now feel extremely proud of what I have written and of my achievement. All those who have written a book will know this feeling!</div>
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And, just in case you are wondering what happened to the other book I was writing? Well, that is now finished too and being edited right now. <em>‘Island in the Sun’</em> will be published later this summer.</div>
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<strong>It has been a team effort with Harper Impulse to progress The Backpacking Housewife from a manuscript to a book. </strong>There have been structural edits and revisions. The book has been copyedited and checked over and over. A publication date has been set for 6<sup>th</sup> July for the ebook and 12<sup>th</sup> July for the paperback. The Harper Collins PR Department has been fully briefed and will be working with me to reach readers.</div>
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<strong>I was asked to write a cover brief and from that the cover was designed</strong>. I was so excited and thrilled and proud when I saw the beautiful cover and I was desperate to show it off to everyone - except I knew I couldn’t – at least not until the cover was officially revealed by the wonderful team at Harper Impulse. It was especially hard not to share when friends attending <strong>The London Book Fair</strong> told me that the cover of The Backpacking Housewife was being displayed on a giant screen at the Harper Collins stand and sent me the photo!</div>
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<em>The Backpacking Housewife on display at the London Book Fair</em></div>
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<strong>So I'm really happy to be able to share with you at last - The Backpacking Housewife. Ta-darrrrr!!</strong></div>
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<em>In case you missed it - here it is again!</em></div>
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<strong>What is the story about?</strong> The Backpacking Housewife is a story about an ordinary woman - a housewife with two grown-up children. When she comes home unexpectedly one day to find her husband of 25 years in bed with her best friend, she is so distraught and traumatized and betrayed that she grabs her passport and her handbag and heads out of the door to the airport. What follows is an adventure of a lifetime.</div>
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<strong>This is the official book blurb</strong>: <em>Lorraine Anderson was meant to be making a Sunday roast, not swanning off to Thailand, backpack in hand! But when she finds her husband and her best friend in bed together there’s only one thing to do – grab her passport and never look back! </em><em>Now, with each mile </em>travelled<em> Lori sheds the woman she once was and finds the woman she was always meant to be. A woman of passion and spirit who deserves to explore the great unknown…and to indulge in the temptation she encounters along the way!</em></div>
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<strong>Today is Cover Reveal Day and ALSO the day the book goes up for PRE-SALE!</strong></div>
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<strong>This means that if you order the book on PRE-SALE you are placing an order for the book at the PRE-SALE SPECIAL PRICE. But you will not be charged for the book until publication day on the 6<sup>th</sup> July for the ebook or 12<sup>th</sup> July for the paperback. So why not get your order in right away?</strong></div>
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<strong><a href="http://www.hyperurl.co/backpackwife">Click here to browse the book and find out more on Amazon</a></strong></div>
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<strong>The ebook is also available from: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-backpacking-housewife/id1351745769?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> iBooks on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac.</a></strong></div>
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<strong>And at: <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/the-backpacking-housewife?utm_source=linkshare_us&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=HarperCollins.com&utm_term=hc&siteID=MdXm68JZJz8-VKRmEeILRkK7d8D02CtP1Q">Kobo</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Janice_Horton_The_Backpacking_Housewife?id=dLJMDwAAQBAJ">Google Play</a></strong></div>
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<strong><em>What do you think of the cover and the story blurb?</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em>Have you pre-ordered yet?</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em>I’d love to read your comments!</em></strong></div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-42037287062814808232018-02-12T21:36:00.000+00:002018-02-12T22:55:20.744+00:00Deux Grandes Aventures - in France!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Right now Trav and I are having two grand adventures: </b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>living in France</b> <b>while I’m busy writing a new book </b></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">loosely based on my own travel experiences for</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> HarperImpulse - the romance imprint of HarperCollins UK Publishers!</span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Great excitement - signing my Harper Impulse contract!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Until fairly recently these were both totally unexpected opportunities!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>HarperImpulse</b> offering me a book contract prompted us to decide that we needed to settle down somewhere - at least for the time it would take me to write the book - but where?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When you have no fixed abode then your only options are to stay in an affordable hotel or rent a house or an apartment within your budget OR to do some housesitting and live somewhere for free in exchange for looking after the homeowner’s property and perhaps their livestock or pets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>As we have never done any housesitting </b>before I checked out some of the house-sitting websites. The more I read about it the more appeal the housesitting idea had for us. Some people only needed a house sitter for a couple of days or weeks but some needed house sitters for a few months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>We were actually in Vietnam</b> at the time of doing this initial research into housesitting and we already had plans in place to travel to Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Hong Kong, and South Korea over the coming weeks – so we decided that after South Korea - we would be prepared to pay the airfare to travel onto somewhere/anywhere in the world where we could stay for three months or more without having to pay any rent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>So we applied for an assignment in France through the website called MindMyHouse.com.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The assignment was to live in and look after a beautiful chateau in South West France owned by a UK couple who needed caretakers/managers for up to six months. The house was in the French countryside, just outside the beautiful and historic city of Perigueux, and the home of a cat called Monsieur Smudge. There were also a couple of gites (cottages) on the property that were rented out and a large garden and an outdoor swimming pool to maintain.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The beautiful countryside of SW France and the housesitting assignment caring for Mr Smudge</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">All these jobs at the house were easily within Trav’s remit (plus there was a ride on tractor to cut the grass!) and, although it wasn't an island in the tropics, it was certainly a wonderful and idyllic setting for me to actually get some serious writing done - and being South West France - it's not as if it would ever get really cold in the wintertime either.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You can imagine how delighted we were when after a few emails back and forth and a skype interview with the homeowners – </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">we were offered the French Assignment - </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">and Trav and I were going to live in France from the end of September to the end of March!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In order to get to France as cheaply as possible from Asia, we took four flights and two long train journeys and a bus across London.</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First, we took the KTX bullet train in South Korea from Daegu to Seoul and then we flew from Seoul to Hong Kong. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">To save on a hotel we slept in the airport in Seoul as our flight was so early in the morning. From Hong Kong</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> our flight was delayed. After a bit of stress, we managed to get to Kuala Lumpur just in time for our direct flight to London. In London, we had to get from Heathrow to Gatwick to meet with a flight to Bordeaux, after which we took a train to Perigueux - the capital of the Dordogne Region of France.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>At Perigueux train station we were met by our lovely homeowners!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The first few days we slept lots (as you can imagine) in our super comfortable and gorgeous bedroom in the beautiful chateau and we ate lots of lovely French food. Our lovely homeowners kindly showed us around the area so that we would know where to find the local shops and markets and vineyards etc.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The lovely homeowners Piers and Fran gave us a tour of the area, the vineyards, and we stopped off for lunch in a cafe</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7UcB_h0UsE1VQDRvha2FIzwEQPwmzb14YxxPSXcrZHjEGGCnFmnNIi9PanCwWgy-miRbxYfm5BNZiGslP9z7QRaA04UMVx5GUA7JV6SqtyxM4W40emj1NDX5rexGS-8_QZwhG31KG2I/s1600/france+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1366" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7UcB_h0UsE1VQDRvha2FIzwEQPwmzb14YxxPSXcrZHjEGGCnFmnNIi9PanCwWgy-miRbxYfm5BNZiGslP9z7QRaA04UMVx5GUA7JV6SqtyxM4W40emj1NDX5rexGS-8_QZwhG31KG2I/s640/france+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This area has so many beautiful old buildings and cathedrals and vineyards and chateaux</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It was the end of September when we arrived in France but it was still hot and sunny. After being so long in SE Asia it was especially thrilling to see so much wonderful food and cheese (I LOVE cheese!) and (as we were in wine-country) lots of wine (I LOVE wine!) and it is so very inexpensive here because wine isn’t taxed as the French consider it to be a food. What a civilised country!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>I knew we were going to love France!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We don’t actually speak French but were certainly keen to learn – especially as in this part of middle France - most people (including our neighbours) don’t speak any English (and why would they?) '<i>Bonjour! Ca va? Et vous?'</i><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>We soon settled down to living and working at our new home in France</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5n1rQdTN6688tY91wCCg7z3UxbIJ21Dp-zCotrL_tyyhEiGPrUH1LYvpTmXlvf5yFabkN0YtfzfOix5L-3RSBt3s3u42a15FW3JUTqAa9POk6SANmcpuGlOPkzGHHnJVx7Vb_hCgxC4/s1600/france+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1366" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5n1rQdTN6688tY91wCCg7z3UxbIJ21Dp-zCotrL_tyyhEiGPrUH1LYvpTmXlvf5yFabkN0YtfzfOix5L-3RSBt3s3u42a15FW3JUTqAa9POk6SANmcpuGlOPkzGHHnJVx7Vb_hCgxC4/s640/france+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Things I love - markets where dogs round up ducks - Authur the donkey and our neighbour's piggies - and cafes and wine</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>A week or so after arriving in France</b>, we invited (with our homeowner’s approval) my Aunt Dawn and Uncle Ed, who were in Europe from Vancouver, Canada, to stay with us for a few days. We had stayed with them last year and we were keen to see them again. We had a lovely week with them here in France before they flew back to Vancouver and I have lots of photos to show you of our wonderful days out to vineyards and medieval towns and chateaux and the time we spent together.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AYRGOk2_whYBquzpXw4CQwsEXgx45KQJk0ALMsCtHGQX2u48Eu6aDWL5CbIXUOwMzD8kAornQ9oxRdB-uVXyWFB9Nr_arGEkvHZBtVLE0aEYJgxyLEqFFaUqy_T5t4VFm4VcYtHhSL8/s1600/france+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1366" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AYRGOk2_whYBquzpXw4CQwsEXgx45KQJk0ALMsCtHGQX2u48Eu6aDWL5CbIXUOwMzD8kAornQ9oxRdB-uVXyWFB9Nr_arGEkvHZBtVLE0aEYJgxyLEqFFaUqy_T5t4VFm4VcYtHhSL8/s640/france+6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>We had such a great time when my Uncle Ed and Aunt Dawn came to stay with us in France</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkLhW6mWihxlDOjHJOW6CPyrAFeX0AxpvaBzCuF99BW3g6pucZQyCiJl08lw7qRLw0lzdIPQzJhBaENH5D5ikSany9p5vYfcWrLcZmDjTNLThlxRtCRniEUzTu_3syxNDqhvlqCI0deQ/s1600/IMG_4167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1286" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkLhW6mWihxlDOjHJOW6CPyrAFeX0AxpvaBzCuF99BW3g6pucZQyCiJl08lw7qRLw0lzdIPQzJhBaENH5D5ikSany9p5vYfcWrLcZmDjTNLThlxRtCRniEUzTu_3syxNDqhvlqCI0deQ/s400/IMG_4167.JPG" width="321" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Ed and Trav in old Perigueux France</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Yo4UqQ1FqyZTghB3FDIVVZxJZzFQL1t75P4rfF815WTvKYim4y8y4WxDH6bA9rjY7kKgkTJdY0XnLJf3P-zyWQiV3y_Us1MvWx8Y6M06_6Pzq9j0QEa03N_ydYwvb2J1BXPRu0oVImA/s1600/Me+and+Trav+France.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Yo4UqQ1FqyZTghB3FDIVVZxJZzFQL1t75P4rfF815WTvKYim4y8y4WxDH6bA9rjY7kKgkTJdY0XnLJf3P-zyWQiV3y_Us1MvWx8Y6M06_6Pzq9j0QEa03N_ydYwvb2J1BXPRu0oVImA/s400/Me+and+Trav+France.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Trav and I in beautiful old Perigueux France</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuwy_ePUUdU-H4AlZe-6cf0lRbw_uSxoaZRPV03ryzebl1qwEOA-3hyzGXtHHsZrz8UYPckIZlrLWyDHvmPk7yNJIS5ovuBq38pBtmTW0OBc-LpJJpHQXepQzVJBFi2Ba29j6n5yv8vU/s1600/pool+dawn+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1600" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuwy_ePUUdU-H4AlZe-6cf0lRbw_uSxoaZRPV03ryzebl1qwEOA-3hyzGXtHHsZrz8UYPckIZlrLWyDHvmPk7yNJIS5ovuBq38pBtmTW0OBc-LpJJpHQXepQzVJBFi2Ba29j6n5yv8vU/s400/pool+dawn+and+me.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Back at the house... Dawn and I enjoying a glass of wine and conversation by the pool...</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The lazy hazy days of a French summer with Ed and Dawn and our lovely French neighbours Charles and Christelle</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRaoTf-AZuzdJwnQZSALIweookbUPAxmUv5NtOVw-Ll8EuuumigGCS-SS67uWI6dJzLwLA6e176IJLlBV-4m0xHE7aQHjtcpizEeCy3Xmp57wwbutuDSDz4jM6Gd4JM-h57EVc5ieG24/s1600/22449743_10208647378456709_4483876043481761849_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRaoTf-AZuzdJwnQZSALIweookbUPAxmUv5NtOVw-Ll8EuuumigGCS-SS67uWI6dJzLwLA6e176IJLlBV-4m0xHE7aQHjtcpizEeCy3Xmp57wwbutuDSDz4jM6Gd4JM-h57EVc5ieG24/s400/22449743_10208647378456709_4483876043481761849_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The autumnal courtyard through an open window</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>The weather stayed amazing</b> for us all the way through October - warm enough to use the outdoor swimming pool a few times. We took a delivery of chopped wood for the winter courtesy of Fran and Piers – which we stacked into the woodshed while it was around 26 deg C. But, once November came around, the weather turned very cold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>In November it is Trav's birthday </b>and this year he was delighted to receive a bottle of his favourite tipple (thank you Ben and Hayley) and something he'd enjoy whiling away any free French time - a drone. Happy Birthday Trav!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>S</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>HOCK! I could hardly believe it!</b> In December it snowed and it was apparently the first time it had snowed in this part of France in FIVE years – and as we have lived in mostly hot and tropical places – it was the first time WE had experienced snow in around five years too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>As we didn't actually have any cold weather clothes</b>, we had to buy a couple of cold weather outfits to wear over the winter. Leggings and sweatshirts and socks. Our lovely homeowners did send a message to say we could use some of their knitwear from their wardrobes – which was very kind indeed – as we were reluctant to buy too much of anything that couldn’t go in our backpacks when we leave here in March.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is only a limited amount of stuff you can own and buy - as you have to be prepared to carry it around in your backpack with you - so less is always better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>We had a nice quiet Christmas</b> – just the two of us and, of course, Mr Smudge – sitting by a lovely warm log fire with lots of wine and cheese. We didn’t have a Christmas tree but Trav found a string of lights to wrap around a tree in the courtyard outside. We did miss our family and friends but we did get to send and receive cards this year at least and to chat with most people on Messenger and Facetime and Skype.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our lovely neighbours Charles and Christelle took us out for a pre-Christmas traditional French meal and also to a fabulous Christmas market in the nearby historic medieval town of Sarlat. This year’s market was on a British theme!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBx-0A2S_dGJs7Usn6rlS4CWoYUjRjQFNm68EGGV5Hqe5nJmmEMXhZjCTqjzJSUpfAdd2KvT60VhJ5RVI_6k-Nv1ETzqMGZj55asUMJJnW78pIQ2xWSCQgOU-89fHVVz2P5D-RgjIPqyc/s1600/noel3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1366" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBx-0A2S_dGJs7Usn6rlS4CWoYUjRjQFNm68EGGV5Hqe5nJmmEMXhZjCTqjzJSUpfAdd2KvT60VhJ5RVI_6k-Nv1ETzqMGZj55asUMJJnW78pIQ2xWSCQgOU-89fHVVz2P5D-RgjIPqyc/s640/noel3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>And, except for these occasional outings, I was writing All The Time!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Harper Impulse had sent me a contract </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">to sign and I was working to a tight end of January deadline. This meant I had just three months to write a full-length novel and to submit it on time. As an author, I’m often asked the question ‘how long does it take you to write a book?’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Well, my first book took me four years to write (I had three youngsters and two day-jobs back then) and the second one took two years. The third book, I recall, took three years. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">From then on, books usually took me about</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> a year to write. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, I’ve never had to write a book quite as quickly as this before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>No pressure then!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To help, I made a spreadsheet and gave myself a set word count to achieve each week and a set time to work each day. I did try to include an hour of exercise each day too - walking in the beautiful countryside surrounding the house - as all the wine and the cheese I'm eating has piled on the weight. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Consequentially, I’m a stone heavier than I was when I first arrived here. The countryside here is beautiful and reminds me very much of South West Scotland where we lived for many years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But I'm now delighted to be able to tell you that the story is written and it's currently with my lovely editor. I do hope she loves it as much as I do. There will be of course be revisions to work on next. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I expect to be working on them over the next couple of weeks. After which, the manuscript will go back to the publisher once again for line edits and then digital publication.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The title of this book – to be published as an ebook in Summer 2018 is:</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">‘The Backpacking Housewife’</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m very excited about it I can tell you!<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And I can hardly wait to see what the cover will look like and for it to be finally available on Amazon and on Kobo and Apple’s iBook stores. I'll be sending out a newsletter to my newsletter subscribers <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">(see the top right sidebar of this page) when </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The Backpacking Housewife</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> becomes available and also to alert you to any offers and competitions and prizes to be won around publication day.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So what’s next?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Well, we have some lovely friends from Scotland coming to stay with us for a few days soon and, if the weather allows, we’d love to take them out to a few vineyards and to explore some of the beautiful and historic local towns and to have lunch in some French cafes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>As for our onward travel plans</b>, we do already have plans in place to leave France in mid-March. Our plan is to fly back to Asia initially, as we will be attending our son and daughter-in-law’s wedding in South Korea at the beginning of April. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, we will fly from Bordeaux to London, and then directly to Singapore. We’ll spend a couple of weeks in Malaysia (exact plans not yet decided on) before we fly over to Korea to meet up with family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>After our week in South Korea</b>, we will fly directly from Seoul to San Francisco USA. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I’ve always wanted to go to San Francisco – and I'm super excited about it so we have planned a three-day stopover there - I’ve already pre-booked our tickets to go over to see Alcatraz!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>From the USA we will fly </b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>to Honduras</b> and then onto the beautiful Caribbean island of Utila.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> If you've followed this blog for a while, you'll know that Utila - the smallest of the Bay Islands - </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">is our favourite island in the Caribbean and, although we have stayed on this beautiful island many times, it will have been two and a half years since we were last there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>I’m really looking forward to going back to Utila</b>, hopefully, we'll stay for the whole summer, and to seeing all our island friends again. Trav, as a PADI Staff Instructor, is also looking forward to diving in the sea every day again as I know he’s really missed being in the water.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So lots of posts and lots more adventures to come in 2018.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. </b>Please do pop back soon for more writing and travel news and please do consider signing up for my newsletter - I hardly ever send one out - only when I have news - so promise not to spam you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Until next time</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love, Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-69137729943948927292018-02-02T22:06:00.000+00:002018-02-03T11:50:38.532+00:00Back to South Korea to visit the Horton/Kang family!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After spending two fun nights in Macau (the Las Vegas of Asia!) and taking a ferry over to explore Hong Kong for a few days - which you can read about in my two previous posts – we flew onto Seoul in South Korea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is our fifth visit to South Korea</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> where our son, James, lives with our daughter in law, Sujeong, and our grandson, Aaron.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KfgbfZS8Ew2RNPQYuLDquZ_EAwbi7N71q7eXWatbvZiQgkV1uhOKfmPT_-eRSXS_7DT3Hw-8NIfh4Q1TVa3lamlAHWA9tNW8Aut0TfYh_REyOSOayq8QPzm1AWluXC6gSMyCamJo6LI/s1600/18155568_1829340080650160_983168320_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KfgbfZS8Ew2RNPQYuLDquZ_EAwbi7N71q7eXWatbvZiQgkV1uhOKfmPT_-eRSXS_7DT3Hw-8NIfh4Q1TVa3lamlAHWA9tNW8Aut0TfYh_REyOSOayq8QPzm1AWluXC6gSMyCamJo6LI/s320/18155568_1829340080650160_983168320_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Our sweet grandson, Aaron Horton</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Being based in Asia over the past couple of years (Malaysia and Thailand mostly) has been great for us as it has been strategically conducive to not missing out too much on our young grandson growing from a baby into a toddler.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During the past few trips, we have also managed not to get lost taking the high-speed KTX train from Seoul to Daegu. We have actually mastered the subway around the city - and we have even managed to do some unchaperoned shopping at the mall or the market too – utilising a few handy Korean phrases!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During this visit</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, we would get to meet the new addition to our family – Zoey the Beagle – who is an adorable puppy and new best friend for our grandson.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In early to mid-September, </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">the weather is still warm (South Korea has very hot summers and incredibly cold winters) so we were able to take our grandson out to the play park and for lots of walks and even for a day out to Daegu Theme Park - which was great fun - so please excuse proud Jamma and Papa overload! (Aaron's names for us.)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Also, during this visit,</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> we were able to discuss the BIG WEDDING PLANS for April 2018. Our son and his wife have been legally married for a few years but they have never actually had a traditional Korean wedding party for family and friends to attend. So, in April 2018, they will be getting married again with friends and family. The style of the wedding will be traditional, with Korean wedding clothes for the bridal party (white traditional gown and groom in a suit) and also a change into Korean traditional 'hanbok' for the reception and dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s also a tradition in South Korea to have the formal wedding photos done in a photographic studio well ahead of the wedding date - and so these few I’m showing you have been recently taken – and don’t they look romantic!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">While we were in Korea this time, I went with Sujeong and her mum and her sister to get measured for my traditional Korean ‘mother of the groom hanbok’ – handmade and in colours </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have chosen for myself – complete with shoes and handbag to match. The photo on the bottom left shows the fabric I've chosen - and top right are my shoes! The middle photo shows Sujeong trying on a hanbok in the shop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ll feel so privileged to be wearing this traditional outfit at our son’s wedding ceremony alongside Sujeong’s mother, who will be wearing her ‘mother of the bride hanbok’ for the ceremony when we next visit in April 2018.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My daughter-in-law's family - the Kang family - are so lovely and generous and hospitable and we enjoy going out for some meals together - Korean Barbeque food is amazing! On every visit, they have always managed to find somewhere interesting and cultural to take us. On this occasion, to appreciate the leaves starting to turn colour, we went on the Palgongsan Mountain Cable Car. The views over the forest were spectacular. There are two different cable car venues in Daegu – the other is the Aspen Cable Car – which we did on a previous visit and for the high panoramic views of Daegu it is an absolute must see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We stopped off for lunch at a countryside restaurant. The Kang family had pre-booked this (we had no idea) and we had a private room for us all to enjoy a fabulous and huge traditional meal (with lots of kimchi of course!) with us all sitting on cushions at a low table.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Heading back into Daegu, on the outskirts of the city, we stopped off to walk through a beautiful flower field in the warm sunshine. It made for a fabulous and colourful photo opportunity!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>We had a wonderful visit and we are now looking forward to April 2018!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Next on the blog </b>– </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">an unexpected twist to our travel adventures!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>After applying online for a housesitting assignment</b> for the winter months in South West France - </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">from October 2017 to March 2018 - </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">we got it! This meant flying from Seoul via Kuala Lumpur and via London to Bordeaux France </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">to be the guardians of a 500-year-old French country chateau close to the city of Perigueux in exchange for looking after the house and the resident pussy-cat while the homeowners were back in the UK. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What a fantastic opportunity and a wonderful place to live!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuqVMNQymENBk1zHFRKX4xg-Q1F_E0Syx_jhwoH8v-gSgg6nbzweK5ZkhA6lEr4nQzg2_dSEYvoL6UvQX4t9jS-B4SyYA2S77z4gZiuPhQrMjkXMdZovRLsOomrCw_nYGeV80mJHex98/s1600/Labyme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuqVMNQymENBk1zHFRKX4xg-Q1F_E0Syx_jhwoH8v-gSgg6nbzweK5ZkhA6lEr4nQzg2_dSEYvoL6UvQX4t9jS-B4SyYA2S77z4gZiuPhQrMjkXMdZovRLsOomrCw_nYGeV80mJHex98/s400/Labyme.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Our beautiful new home for the winter in SW France</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>The housesitting assignment is perfect</b> in many ways because we really needed somewhere to settle down for a while as I had just signed a publishing contract with Harper Impulse – the romance imprint of Harper Collins publishers UK </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">- for a book I had yet to write scheduled to be published Summer of 2018.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I needed to be somewhere to focus on my writing so that I could meet my tight end of January 2018 deadline. The new novel is to be called The Backpacking Housewife – a novel based on my own travel experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>You can read my author acquisition announcement on the Harper Impulse website <u><a href="http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/on-the-18th-day-of-christmas-harperimpulse-gave-to-me/" target="_blank">HERE</a></u>.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My husband, Trav, was also very happy about living in France for a while too because he knew he would be kept busy while I was writing. He would be responsible for maintaining the beautiful gardens and the swimming pool and any issues with the rented gites in the grounds of our château home over the wintertime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>So please join me here on the blog next time – when I’ll be in France!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love, Janice <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-66258939783929222222017-12-30T22:14:00.000+00:002017-12-30T22:19:35.354+00:00Our Adventures in Hong Kong!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">During the first few days of September this year</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, we were in Macau – the Vegas of Asia – and you can read all about that fabulous trip in my previous post. From Macau, we took a Turbojet High-Speed Ferry over to Hong Kong. We were there in the wake of a terrible typhoon and although the weather was sometimes cloudy and a little wet - as you'll see in the photos - that didn't stop us from having the most fabulous few days there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Hong Kong has long been a fascination to us</b>. We were thrilled to be there at last and determined to make the most of every minute of our visit. We had a lot planned but found it actually impossible to do and see everything that Hong Kong has to offer in the time we allowed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>The first thing </b>we did after checking into our hotel – the Holiday Inn - was to put on comfortable shoes for a long sightseeing walk. This is of course the best way to see the sights and attractions and to browse the shops and markets and street food stalls – of which there are thousands!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We must have walked along the street and the entire length of Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour. Feeling pretty tired afterwards, we hopped onto a traditional tram all the way back to our hotel. The transport system around the city is really good and there are a constant stream of buses and trams and trains and subway trains and taxis and boats to take you quickly and easily and cheaply (not sure about the taxis as we never used one) to wherever you want to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On the corner from our hotel was a restaurant called Dim Sum Square and this was where we ate on two occasions because they had the best dim sum we have ever tasted. As you might expect, the best dim sum is in Hong Kong!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We also ate at several other small restaurants – not the fancy western ones or hotel linked ones – but in the side streets where the locals ate and we found the food delicious and reasonably priced. I did see various unusual and strange bugs and insects and sea creatures and parts of animals being cooked and eaten in Hong Kong and, although I'm normally quite adventurous with food, I have to admit that I stuck to what we consider to be normal Asian foods, like fried rice and shrimp and chicken and duck etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One thing that fascinated and also appalled me in equal measure in Hong Kong was the amount of traditional medicine shops that are selling very strange things as tonics and remedies. I won’t go into the details.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The next thing</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> we did was to take the famous and charming Star Ferry boat across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon. This is the most inexpensive way to see the famous city skyline and to experience a beloved icon and traditional mode of transport that has been in operation since 1888.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>We spent some time in Kowloon</b>, exploring once again on foot, until we eventually ended up at the famous Temple Street Market – the last remaining example of a traditional market in Hong Kong. This is a famous market in its own right for shopping and souvenirs and street food but also the star of many a movie – as it is every movie makers ideal China Town.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>One of my very favourite things</b> to do in Hong Kong was our visit to The Peak on The Peak Tram. Not only will the tram take you to the top of Victoria Peak – to the Sky Terrace and a 360 degree fabulous view over the whole of Hong Kong and its skyscrapers, the harbour and all the surrounding islands - but you get there on the world steepest funicular railway. It was an amazing experience and the views – oh my goodness – they are truly breath-taking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The night before we left Hong Kong</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> we did something so memorable and so iconic that I will forever hold it dear to my heart. We took an old junk boat - an old traditional boat with its billowing red sails - out into the harbour after dark to watch the spectacular nightly light show from the best vantage point possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>The Symphony of Lights </b>– a light show set to music and colourful lasers and spotlights and LED screens flashing and streaking across all the tall shiny glass and steel buildings around both sides of the harbour is now recognised as a signature icon for Hong Kong – and was simply stunning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I will forever hold Hong Kong in my heart</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> as a wonderful, romantic, happy and exciting and memorable place. But we were ready to leave simply because our flight the next morning was to take us to Seoul in South Korea – where for the next ten days we would be visiting our family there – our son James and his wife Sujeong and our beautiful two-and-a-half-year-old grandson Aaron and our in-laws, the lovely Kang Family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So next time here on the blog, I’ll be in South Korea. Join me soon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-47573670082175690712017-12-20T17:06:00.001+00:002017-12-20T22:59:58.201+00:00Our fabulous weekend in Macau – the Las Vegas of Asia!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the very start of September this year</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, we were looking forward to spending a couple of days in Macau – the Las Vegas of Asia!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>It’s a place that has long been on my bucket list</b> and I was keen to see for myself how its fun attractions and cosmopolitan hotels and casino resorts really compared to those we enjoyed in Las Vegas USA.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Macau has its own international airport</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> although it is just an hour away on a fast ferry from Hong Kong. So, we planned to fly from Kuala Lumpur into Macau and spend two nights there and then three nights in Hong Kong to make the most of our time in these two iconic cities. But, right up to the last minute, we really didn’t know if our trip was going to happen at all because just a few days earlier a terrible and devastating category typhoon had hit Macau and Hong Kong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I contacted our airline for an update and we were told our flight was unaffected and leaving as scheduled. I contacted the Parisian Hotel, where we had tickets for the final night of the Michael Jackson tribute show ‘Thriller’, and we were told the show was going ahead as planned too.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We were concerned and also sensitive to the loss of life and the destruction that Macau and its people had suffered, but it was made clear to us that the city was recovering quickly from the terrible storm, and that it was business as usual. We decided to go ahead but to keep away from the old historic town that had been worst hit by the typhoon. We certainly didn’t want to add to the burden and pressures of the recovery effort, and so decided to confine our stay to the Cotai area, and to The Strip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The weather was not so good after the typhoon</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> – it was wet and stormy - but that hardly mattered at all when almost all attractions are undercover and there are walkways between them. We stayed right on the Strip by all the big hotels that both Macau and Las Vegas are known for – like The Wynn, The Venetian, The Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, The St Regis, The Conrad, The Sheraton, The Holiday Inn, and others - and still in Macau - the famous Sands Hotel and Resorts.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was sad, however, when we were able to venture outside, to see some of the evidence of damage and what was left of the palm trees in the area. They just looked like broken stumps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We did manage to have a fun ride in the gondolas at The Wynn and we had a fabulous lunch there too at the famous buffet – which we had enjoyed in Vegas too - and can report that they are both equally as good!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We had a good walk around the resort hotels, and in the Venetian Hotel particularly, I wouldn’t have known that I wasn’t in the one in Vegas as it was exactly the same and as equally impressive with its canals and operatic singing gondola drivers and exclusive shops and fabulous skydome interior.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Perhaps the highlight of our trip </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">was attending the Thriller Live Show at the Parisian Hotel. It was the final performance in Macau and this show had started in the West End in London and has travelled throughout the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It was truly fabulous and everyone was up dancing!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After a truly amazing couple of days</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, we were really excited to be leaving Macao knowing that we had not only done it proud but we were going on to Hong Kong next by TurboJet High Speed Ferry.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Join me next time here on the blog</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> when we explore Hong Kong – the iconic city and the colourful harbour with its famous skyline, the mouth-watering food and the history and the culture, our trip by tram up to Victoria Peak and our Star Ferry trip over to the island of Kowloon with its famed Temple Street Market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love, Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-76813668230491752342017-11-25T21:04:00.001+00:002017-11-25T21:27:09.633+00:00Getting our his and her travel-theme sleeve tattoos in KL!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The Tattoo Parlour Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the last day of August</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> this year, we were back in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia after a month in beautiful Vietnam (you can read about Vietnam in my previous post). We had just a few days to spare in KL before our next adventure – two nights in Macao (the Las Vegas of Asia) and three nights in Hong Kong - before we flew onto South Korea for a ten day visit to see our son and his wife Sujeong, and our grandson Aaron, and the rest of our lovely family in Korea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In Kuala Lumpur</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, we checked into one of our favourite hotels outside the city, very close to the place Trav had researched and found to do the tattoos we have been talking about getting this year to celebrate our 34<sup>th</sup> wedding anniversary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We wanted to mark this anniversary by getting his and her half-sleeve travel tattoos in black and grey that would represent our love and our nomadic lifestyle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>I'd rather be getting tattooed!</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We wanted a compass and a map</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> as the main theme with individual touches such as our astrology signs of Scorpio and Pisces. We wanted palm trees to represent our love of tropical places and three little birds in flight to represent our three boys flying the nest. I wanted a quill pen to represent my writing and Trav wanted a diver to represent his passion for scuba diving.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>These are our final approved designs. Mine on the left. Trav's on the right.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We consulted with the very talented young artists and tattooists at <i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thetattooparlorMalaysia/" target="_blank">The Tattoo Parlor Malaysia</a> </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">at Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur. It took many hours of consultation and skill and patience for them to fine-tune our ideas and to get the tattoo designs just right for us. During this time, while tattoo artists Bruce and Oren Lee were busy designing, Cheryl the owner of the shop looked after us, bringing us coffee and food. The atmosphere in the shop was really friendly, fab, and fun.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Tattoo artist Bruce Lee positions the design template onto Trav's arm</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Tattoo artist Oren positions the design template on my arm</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With the design templates in place that tatttoing can begin!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Then the tattooing began </b>and a</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">fter over eight hours in the shop, including five long hours in the chair and under the needle, Trav and I finally had the tattoos we had wanted so much and which meant so much to us. We were more than thrilled with the results. I do have a few tattoos already but this was Trav’s first tattoo. I'm so proud of him and we both agreed that the pain was worth it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The outline is being tattooed and I'm in a bit of a sweat!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKBSIagjODCK-j9swtprr6dXWLS1NnrNaXmDF6qzcjkoW8ETYe-EP7eSJ9EO5YQp4lWheT9JmpEvR-S8nftQrXGjdcJiD1HsrQ0B_p_47qQqNKRHMX-tpO8pM02krUxjTeaa4Lq-rXP8/s1600/our+tatts+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1279" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKBSIagjODCK-j9swtprr6dXWLS1NnrNaXmDF6qzcjkoW8ETYe-EP7eSJ9EO5YQp4lWheT9JmpEvR-S8nftQrXGjdcJiD1HsrQ0B_p_47qQqNKRHMX-tpO8pM02krUxjTeaa4Lq-rXP8/s640/our+tatts+sm.jpg" width="508" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The amazing results - photographed raw - after five hours under the needle!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thank you to ace tattooists Bruce and Oren at The Tattoo Parlor Malaysia!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We love our <i>his and her’s</i> travel tattoos and we will wear them with pride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now that our tattoos have healed they look even better!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do you have a tattoo/s? What do you think of our new tattoos?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In my next post, I’ll be sharing our fantastic trip to Macao and Hong Kong and explaining to you how the trip very nearly didn’t take off!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Love, Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-57486803152225864212017-11-04T18:14:00.001+00:002017-11-06T22:17:55.525+00:00An amazing month in beautiful Vietnam…<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>The end of July through August is a tricky time of year in South East Asia</b> – as many places are having their monsoon season. H</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">aving spent a month on Koh Chang in Thailand in the rainy season and then a few fun days in Singapore and Batam Island, which you can read about in previous posts, Trav and I were back in Kuala Lumpur and looking for somewhere to settle down for a month or more, where I could get down to some concentrated work on my current writing project and where he could get in some scuba diving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We were also looking for somewhere that satisfied several other criteria too - hot sunshine, a nice beach, and most importantly, affordability. And, q</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">uite crucially, to satisfy our wanderlust, it also had to be somewhere we hadn’t ever been before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>So, rather than stick a pin in a map</b>, we did our usual research. I’m aware that my posts and photos on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram just show us jetting off and exploring places - but I</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> think you might be really surprised at how much time and effort we spend on planning our travels. A</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">ctually, we often don’t go to our first choice of destination.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This could be because it would prove too damaging to our current budget or because of the possibility of violent weather (like somewhere being affected by a category tornado/hurricane) or simply because we have reluctantly decided to heed the advice of the UK government’s warning about a place being deemed too unsafe for travel just now. (The UK Gov's website is a good place to check on your travel plans <a href="https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice" target="_blank">HERE</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Anyhow, after doing our research, we decided on beautiful Vietnam.<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Vietnam ticked all our boxes.</b> We hadn't ever been there before and August is at the end of their hot summer dry season. Our research told us to expect the weather to be good there for at least another month. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The coastal regions are renowned for their stunning white sandy palm-fringed beaches and scuba diving and, because it was the end of the season, we expected the price of accommodation to be low.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also, we had spotted that Air Asia had a bargain flight from Kuala Lumpur to Da Nang in Vietnam, which is very close to the coastal resort of Cua Dae Beach and the larger An ban Beach, and the beautiful ancient town of Hoi An, which is one of only seven UNESCO World Heritage sites in Vietnam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>At this point</b> - but only once I had completed my writing project - we thought our tentative plans might even lead us up the coast to Na Trang and onto Ho Chi Minh City too, as we have friends there whom we’d love to catch up with again. Then maybe to even flying on from HCMC to Siem Reap Cambodia, to take in the amazing sights at Ankor Wat as it has always been on my bucket list?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>The first thing </b>we had to do, however, to get into Vietnam, was to secure a tourist entry visa. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">We applied online, and as th</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">ere wasn’t much difference in the price between a one month or three-month visa, and as we were still unsure of our onward plans, we went for the longer one. Then once the visa came through into our email we were able to go ahead and book our flight with Air Asia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>For our accommodation,</b> I looked at Agoda and Booking.com. First, we </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">stayed in a homestay right opposite Cua Dai Beach</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It was clean and reasonably priced – a little bit pricier because of its beach location – but we were swayed by the sea, the sand, the seafood restaurants nearby, and so we booked for two weeks.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our homestay on the beach at Cua Dia Vietnam</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>An Ban Beach Hoi An Vietnam</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>During those first two weeks, </b>Trav went diving and I sat on the bed writing. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Really, for almost two weeks, I hardly left the room in daylight hours and because there was no desk I had no choice but to sit on the bed! W</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">hen I did FINALLY finish my project (seriously concerned that I'd damaged my bum irreparably) I really wanted to spend my days lying in the sun and swimming in the sea, but by this time, we decided we needed to move into town, where the accommodation was a bit more affordable.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Trav enjoying the diving off Cham Island Vietnam</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So we moved into Hoi An</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Again we stayed in a family homestay – there are so many of them in Vietnam and they are run like small boutique hotels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We had a nice room with a balcony overlooking a pool. Luxury in this incredible heat! I should mention that d</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">uring this time, the weather was so HOT that it was almost unbearable at times. We have been to many hot and humid places in the world and we can usually cope with it - even when we don't have air conditioning - but my goodness I can’t think of anywhere hotter than Vietnam!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consequentially, we spent our days not in town but back on the beach at either Cua Dai or An Bang (and that's when I took all the photos). In the early evenings, however, having gone back to our homestay in town for a lovely swim in the pool and a glass of beer, we often took a walk into Hoi An looking for either a restaurant or good street food.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLDhHnF9VLuzAn470TSAWgIXlNOjiNtMa_JBWgYA57hB8JoCDY7Yg-PezRN_iDsE7z_8-QkGjRvbLDdPvoyNeXCjl439PYb6bL5195SNLpxBz-i7EEwRvDQbEO9GP4sMzkC0vX2p2BTTs/s1600/Picture7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1117" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLDhHnF9VLuzAn470TSAWgIXlNOjiNtMa_JBWgYA57hB8JoCDY7Yg-PezRN_iDsE7z_8-QkGjRvbLDdPvoyNeXCjl439PYb6bL5195SNLpxBz-i7EEwRvDQbEO9GP4sMzkC0vX2p2BTTs/s400/Picture7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With the fruit sellers in Hoi An Town Vietnam</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Hoi An is at its best at sundown</b> when hundreds of lanterns are lit and all the traditional old boats are on the river. Also in the evenings, the use of motorised transport is banned in the old town and so it is enjoyable to explore the pretty streets at this time, either on foot or in an old-fashioned cycle tuk tuk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>As well as the historic buildings in Hoi An</b>, a must-see sight is the iconic old wooden covered Japanese Bridge dating back to the 16<sup>th</sup> century, built by the Japanese community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Old Japanese Bridge in Hoi An Vietnam</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>One of our favourite spots </b>in the Old Town was the White Marble Bar – where you can sit in the open (no glass) windows (opposite a fan!) with a vodka lychee martini cocktail (oh wow – they were good!) and watch the world and the hundreds of beautifully dressed Chinese tourists wearing Vietnamese hats being transported around in those cycle tuk tuks.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Hoi An is also very famous for its tailors</b>. You can get beautiful clothes made to measure very inexpensively here. It seems that every Vietnamese in the town is a dressmaker or seamstress – as was our landlady, Moon. I had a dress made by her during our stay (that's the fabric below right) and Trav had two linen shirts, a pair of smart city trousers, and his old denim shorts that were falling to bits perfectly replicated. We were delighted. You'll see the resulting outfits being worn in an upcoming blog post!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Moon, our landlady, was also an expert tailor and we had our new clothes made to measure</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After spending a whole month in Vietnam in Cua Dai and Hoi An</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, quite spontaneously, we spotted an absolute bargain flight to Seoul in South Korea. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We immediately called our son James and his wife Sujeong, to ask if they were up for having us come over to see them and our grandson Aaron and the Kang family of South Korean in-laws. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Like many of our </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">spontaneous</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> trips – they are booked on the basis of a favourable</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> price – and this flight, in ten days time, was from Hong Kong to Seoul return.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>So we just had to plan to be in Hong Kong in time for our flight.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We had been to Hong Kong once before – but only as a transit stop between flights. I fell in love with Hong Kong </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">when I had looked down at the city from our plane and saw it lit up like a Christmas tree as we flew in.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So this was our big chance to spend a few days and nights there before flying onto </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Seoul. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’d also always wanted to tag a couple of nights in Macao onto a Hong Kong trip too. Macao, known as the Las Vegas of Asia, was just a one hour ferry from Hong Kong. I could see a fabulous adventure materialising </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">before my eyes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>So we abandoned our plans to explore more of Vietnam and Cambodia </b>(for another time) and we flew back to Kuala Lumpur for a few days - not exactly a direct route to Macao and Hong Kong - but it actually worked out cheaper as all the bargain flights were out of KL. Good job we don't mind flying!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>So, at the end of August </b>after spending a whole month in Vietnam,<b> </b>we were back in our Asian hub of Kuala Lumpur for a few days. We relaxed at our favourite hotel just outside the city and we booked flights, hotels, and looked up transport schedules for buses, ferries, and trains in Macao and Hong Kong and South Korea. See, I told you we did a lot of research and planning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>While we were back in KL at this time,</b> through his own research, Trav happened to find the right tattoo artist to do our ‘his and hers half-sleeve travel tattoos’ that we had been talking about doing this year for our thirty-fourth wedding anniversary, and so we jumped at this fabulous window of opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>These are our final fabulous designs for our tattoos.<br />You see mine (left) has a feather pen to represent my writing.<br />Trav's (right) has a diver to represent his passion for scuba diving.<br />Both tattoos have a compass and a map and palm trees and our astro signs.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Please do join me in my next post</b>, where I’ll be excited to show you our fabulous new half-sleeve matching travel tattoos now permanently on our arms!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Love, Janice xx</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-86680082011499994072017-10-19T17:40:00.001+01:002017-10-20T10:07:14.245+01:00Singapore Universal Studios and Batam Island<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Towards the end of July,</b> after chilling out on an island called Koh Chang in the eastern part of Thailand, we decided we needed a change of scenery and also a bit of fun. You can read about our month on Koh Chang in my previous post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So we took an Air Asia flight from Pattaya to Kuala Lumpur with the intention of taking a flight over to Singapore the next day, where we could catch a ferry over to nearby Batam Island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Air Asia is a budget airline and we fly with them often using Kuala Lumpur as our transit hub in South East Asia. We keep an eye on their flash sales and have managed to get some amazingly cheap deals. In fact, we often make decisions on where to fly next on the basis of their cheap and available flights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But sometimes, as is often the case with budget airlines, they are occasionally subject to cancellation or delay. Unfortunately, our flight with Air Asia from Pattaya was delayed several hours and when we eventually got back to KL and our favourite Holiday Inn hotel, it was well past midnight and we were tired and hungry and a little grumpy because we’d missed our complimentary food and cocktails in the club lounge!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The next morning, when I checked-in online for our Singapore flight, I suddenly realised that the flight we had booked was mid-morning and not mid-afternoon. So after a crazy mad dash to the airport in an Uber Taxi - we managed to get to the gate just in the nick of time - only to be told the flight was delayed. Phew!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Batam, although part of Indonesia</b>, is very easy to get to from Singapore via a subway ride from the airport and a ferry from the harbour. It is also an extremely affordable place to stay compared to the expense of Singapore and it also has a Holiday Inn Resort and Spa. And, as we had enough hotel loyalty points to stay there for free for a few days, we decided it was just the spot for some R&R before heading back to Singapore and finishing off our trip with some fun at Universal Studios.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The weather in Singapore was hot and humid and overcast when we arrived but we had a great view of the famous city skyline from the ferry as we headed over to sunny Batam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our hotel on Batam Island was lovely – with a fabulous pool – and I had what I now consider to be my best-ever spa experience there at the Tee Tree Spa with a full body aromatherapy massage and facial treatment. Bliss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back in Singapore,</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> a few days later, feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, we checked into another Holiday Inn not too far away from Universal Studios.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We have been to Singapore once before – two years ago – when we took a pre-Christmas trip from KL for shopping and sightseeing. Back then, we took in all the famous sights like Marina Bay and Raffles Hotel and we went for a Singapore Sling cocktail at the Long Bar. This time, we made the theme park our focus of attention. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Universal Studios Singapore is very like the one in Orlando Florida – a bit smaller perhaps – but lots of rides like ‘The Mummy’ are exactly the same and so much fun that we went on that one twice. We found the waiting times for the main attractions much shorter than those we encountered in Orlando – maybe an hour rather than three hours without the expense of an express pass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>We had a wonderful day out – although it was blisteringly hot all day.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Feeling rested and rejuvenated </b>by our trip we headed back to Kuala Lumpur for a quick twenty-four hours - just long enough to meet with our next Air Asia flight. This time we were looking for a bit of adventure and culture - so we were headed to a top destination in South East Asia. A country known for its breathtaking natural beauty and unique heritage - and, excitingly, somewhere we'd never explored before. J</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">oin me here on the blog again very soon to find out about our next exciting month-long destination!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Love, Janice xx</i></span></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-51684591169129122672017-10-09T16:30:00.001+01:002017-10-09T17:52:01.283+01:00Rainy season on (เกาะช้าง) Elephant Island Thailand<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>After an amazing and exciting month in Malaysia </b>during the whole of June this year - exploring caves in Kuala Lumpur, helping out at a turtle conservation in the Perhentian Islands, seeing Orangutans and Sunbears in the wild in Borneo, and riding through towns and jungle on the North Borneo Railway, all of which you can read more about by clicking back through my last few posts – Trav and I decided to head onto somewhere for the month of July where we could take things easy for a while and I could get down to some serious writing and Trav could do some serious diving – all while not having to pay too much for our travel or accommodation costs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As an easy option and with the help of a bargain-priced flight with Air Asia, we looked at travelling back to Thailand for a few weeks. We know Thailand quite well by now – having travelled extensively throughout the country - although we had still yet to discover the eastern part of Thailand and Trat Province. On this side of the Gulf of Thailand there are a string of tropical islands that are known for snorkelling, diving, jungle hiking and waterfalls. The larger of these islands in the</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"> archipelago is known as Koh Chang or Elephant Island (เกาะช้าง)</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These islands are also reportedly much quieter and less-touristy than other islands in Thailand – like Phuket or Koh Samui for example – so they sounded exactly like our kind of place. There was only one catch - in July it is rainy season in this part of Thailand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the off-season, especially on island resorts in Thailand, you have to be aware that not all hotels or restaurants or shops will be open. Some close up for the whole season but for those that remain open in off-season that also means lower prices for tourists. We managed to bag two whole weeks in a luxury resort on Koh Chang using Booking.com for a fraction of its high season price.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you are flying into Thailand (with a UK passport - other passports holders may be offered different entry visa options) on arrival you will get a thirty-day entry visa. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We intended to stay for the month and then perhaps look for an even cheaper hotel deal for the second half of our stay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It couldn’t rain there all month, could it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We flew from Kuala Lumpur to Pattaya in Thailand. Pattaya is a town with a seedy reputation for crime, prostitution, and drugs - so not our kind of place at all - but it was a necessary transiting point for us on our way down the coastline. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In Pattaya, we booked a room for one night at the Holiday Inn – always our preferred hotel chain - as we benefit hugely from collecting points for stays with their customer reward programme called IHG.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On checking in at the Holiday Inn Pattaya Beach we were given a penthouse suite upgrade with a wraparound balcony and spectacular views of the beach as well as club access at the rooftop bar – meaning complimentary cocktails and canapes. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Score!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The next morning, as you might imagine, it was difficult to leave our luxurious surroundings, but after breakfast, we had arranged for a taxi/minibus to take us on the seven-hour road trip down to Koh Chang.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yes, really, seven hours – including a ferry crossing - and this is the only way we could see how to get there. The Google map shows a five and a half hour journey - but if you are heading to Koh Chang from Pattaya then be prepared for it to take you a little longer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The journey was a little laborious but we had a very good driver, and on the ferry, we were delighted to meet a Buddhist monk in his orange robes. He was happy to speak with us and to practice his English. One of the things I love most about travelling</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is the wonderful people you get to meet along the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was overcast and raining as we travelled</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> but still incredibly warm and humid, and as we approached Koh Chang island, it looked beautiful in the mist. But we still had another hour or so to get to our destination – a resort on Klong Prao Beach – and our driver and car were still with us on the ferry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On arrival, our hotel far exceeded our expectations – we had a lovely room in a palm-thatched deluxe bungalow with a covered private balcony overlooking the gardens and the pool. I decided that even if it did rain the whole time we were here, I really wouldn’t mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Of course it didn’t rain the whole time</b> – only about half the time – but then I did have lots of writing to do. Trav didn’t mind the rain either because he planned on going diving and so he knew he would get wet anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sometimes, though, when we did venture out on showery days – to find a 7/11 shop for essential supplies of snacks and wine and beer - we ended up sheltering in a street side café or bar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Not such a hardship - and it was hot rain after all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>On the days when the sun shone</b>, it was really beautiful and we made the most of them. We sunbathed and swam in the hotel pool, or we took walks along long empty beaches, that I’m told get incredibly busy in high-season. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>We also strolled along jungle tracks looking for elephants.</b> There really are lots of elephants on Koh Chang, so we made sure to always take some apples with us so that we could feed them and stroke them and talk to them. Some are left wander freely in fields or some you meet just strolling along the road and being ridden by their mahout (elephant keeper). They are such lovely animals and this was the first time I’d ever been up close to an elephant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>There are several elephant trekking camps on Koh Chang</b> where tourists can ride on the back of an elephant through the jungle. As I don’t agree with elephants being ridden, I didn’t go near them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You can learn more about elephant camps on Koh Chang </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://iamkohchang.com/activities/on-land/elephant-trekking-on-koh-chang.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One of the most wonderful things we did on a sunny day was a jungle trek by foot to the nearby Klong Plu Waterfalls. It was a testing walk uphill on slippery muddy steep tracks, but it was so worth it, as the waterfalls were magnificent – another bonus in rainy season - and we could swim in the water pools that were full of beautiful fish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>In the evenings,</b> we were entertained with live music at our hotel bar. Sometimes we ate at our hotel and other times we went to other restaurants and bars. We also ate street food – some of the best we’ve ever had. Our favourite bar was called Sabai Bar on White Sand Beach where they had a fire dancer show on most nights (when it wasn’t raining obviously). Many of the nicer restaurants on Koh Chang will pick you up at your hotel for free in an open back truck/taxi and our favourite restaurant who offered this service is called Iyara, which is famous for its yummy seafood and river estuary location. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">On one beautiful clear and starry night </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">after having dinner at Iyara, Trav and I took a ride in a small boat along the riverbank to see fireflies. It was a magical moment to sit in the dark and the silence and to see all the trees and bushes on the riverbank twinkling with tiny white firefly lights.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting (public domain) Fireflies at Ochanomizu by Kobayashi Kiyochika. 1847-1915</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>After our two weeks at our beautiful resort</b>, we would have loved to have stayed on but reluctantly we had to find another hotel on the island. The reason for this was an upcoming week-long Thai holiday, that we hadn’t previously known about, which would put our resort’s prices up to high-season levels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We were lucky and found an inexpensive but very nice hotel further along the beach. This was a newly built resort and although it wasn’t fully open in the off-season as their bar and restaurant were closed, they rented out rooms, which were small modern villas built around a swimming pool that we could use. Hence the lower prices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>We decided this would do us fine.</b> The resort was quiet and I was still working hard on structural edits for my next book. Over our month on Koh Chang, I’d planned to rewrite 30,000 words of the mid-section of the book and add another 20,000 words to the storyline bringing the novel to around 90,000 words. It was a grueling task that meant spending many hours at the laptop but at least I had a swimming pool available to swim away the knots from my shoulder muscles and plenty of Thai massage places to go to if I needed it - which I did on quite a few occasions!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>By the end of July, </b>we had had a wonderful time on Koh Chang but Trav was bored with me writing for so much of the day and the weather and rain on Koh Chang was getting steadily more persistent and that was causing bad visibility in the sea and so he wasn’t diving either. I heartily agreed that we both needed a change of scenery, so w</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">e decided to move on to somewhere where the weather might be improved, and where we could also have a bit of fun together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So we headed back the same way we arrived in a taxi/mini-bus but this time we stayed in Pattaya a few nights so that we could make our new travel arrangements. While we were there we explored the town and saw that it was indeed a bit of an eye-opener!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>But where to go next? </b>We did our research carefully because while some regions and countries in South East Asia are in the middle of their rainy (monsoon) season in July and August, others were just finishing theirs and others were just coming into it. Spotting a bargain flight, we decided to head over to Singapore for a few days and then take a ferry boat over to Batam Island - which is part of Indonesia and stay at their Holiday Inn Resort - which we paid for entirely with our IHG loyalty points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>So in my next post,</b> I'll be blogging about our amazing time in Singapore where we went to Universal Studios for a day and had a lot of fun - and also our lovely week spent at the Holiday Inn on Batam Island in Indonesia - before we headed back to our south-east Asian home hub of Kuala Lumpur to make the decision on where in the world we would travel to next!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Do pop back soon </b>– and please consider signing up to my mailing list on the top right of this page. I only send out newsletters when I have news or offers or something exciting like a new book release to share with you and you will get a free download of my bestselling book ‘How To Party Online’. Thanks!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Love, Janice xx</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-18548178864443752962017-09-01T10:12:00.001+01:002017-09-01T10:39:57.682+01:00Adventures in Borneo (2) Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqWkWRYKbAp8P2ybDjWERt6sfCxVKrR7cIprnybuaoqxl0xrjBnY_7xjy3xyr1ew9p9AhhlHjd3PbDxd1HN4eWnW_7ZgE_q25hpP4DvOm5JK1RlaXPEU_OLDEzPst3zj6KvDJPSLLNfw/s1600/DSCN6384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1497" data-original-width="1600" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqWkWRYKbAp8P2ybDjWERt6sfCxVKrR7cIprnybuaoqxl0xrjBnY_7xjy3xyr1ew9p9AhhlHjd3PbDxd1HN4eWnW_7ZgE_q25hpP4DvOm5JK1RlaXPEU_OLDEzPst3zj6KvDJPSLLNfw/s400/DSCN6384.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We flew from Kota Kinabalu to Sandaken in the Sabah region of Borneo to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see Orangutans in the wild at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre – the precious home of the last wild Orangutans of North Borneo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The centre, in 43 square kilometres of virgin equatorial rainforest, was set up in 1964 by an English woman called Barbara Harrison and it was the first centre in the world to dedicate itself to the rehabilitation of orphaned (as a result of illegal logging and deforestation) Orangutans or those that have been displaced (due to being caught and illegally kept as pets). Today, as well as caring for young orphaned Orangutans, it looks after dozens of other wildlife species including Sunbears, Gibbons, Sumatran Rhinos, and Borneo Pygmy Elephants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Walking through the jungle to the feeding stations, we managed to spot some pigmy elephants. The jungle was so dense that we walked along wooden gantry pathways to keep us above ground level and safe from snakes and other dangers. All around us the trees were so incredibly ancient and tall and it was a fabulous experience to see both young and older Orangutans swinging through the tree canopy above us towards the food station.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My photos really didn’t do our experience here justice but then being behind the camera wasn’t the point of being here, so for once, I didn’t take many snaps. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I just stood in awe and wonder as these beautiful Orangutans sat and ate or swung on ropes or through the trees around me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Check out these short video clips of wild Orangutans at the feeding station</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sightings at the feeding station are not guaranteed but we were fortunate in </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">seeing lots of Orangutans on that day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On the website (which you can find following the link <a href="https://www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk/about-us/sepilok-orangutan-rehabilitation-centre" target="_blank">HERE</a>) it states “<i>The orangutans that come for this free feed are wild and therefore can be dangerous, so there are staff on hand to make sure interactions do not occur, for the safety of both visitor and orangutan. Because they are wild, it can never be guaranteed that many will come for the feed, if any at all (especially during the fruiting season). This is where some people leave disappointed, but the truth is if no orangutans come, then it is a positive thing - it means they are not reliant upon the feeding to survive</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Afterwards, we went to visit the outdoor nursery to observe the juvenile orangutans on their final stage of rehabilitation before release.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The whole experience was amazing and (watching the DVD presentation in the Orangutan Appeal UK presentation and video) is highly emotional.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><u><b>Five amazing things I learned about Orangutans</b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>There are only two species of Orangutan in the word: the Borneo Orangutan and the Sumatran Orangutan.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>The Orangutan is the only great ape outside Africa.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>The Orangutan is strictly arboreal - it lives exclusively in the trees - making it the largest tree living mammal in the world.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>96.4% of our DNA is identical to that of the Orangutan.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>The Orangutan has the longest childhood dependence on the mother of any wild animal in the world.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">is owned and run by the Sabah Wildlife Department, from which it receives some funds. Additional funding comes from the entrance fee charged to tourists. The charity <a href="https://www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk/about-us/sepilok-orangutan-rehabilitation-centre" target="_blank">Orangutan Appeal UK</a> funds projects at the centre including the renovation of enclosures and equipment, as well as funding five members of the care team, including a veterinary nurse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Our visit to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Northern Borneo is an experience I will cherish all my life.</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>In my next travel post we are heading back to Thailand </b>- to an area and an island we haven't yet explored called Koh Chang - which means elephant island. It's rainy season there so the weather is bound to be a mixture of sunshine and showers - but in off season there are hotel resort bargains to be found and I need some down time from travelling as I have a book to write and revisions to work on. We'll fly from KL to Pattaya and then take a taxi and a boat over to Koh Chang.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>See you next time here on the blog </b>- in the meantime - please do consider signing up to my occasional newsletter for updates on the writing as well as offers and news of my next book. The link is at the top right of this page and all subscribers automatically get a download of my fun 'How To Party Online' ebook in Kindle and PDF formats completely FREE as a thank you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Love from,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Janice</i> </span><br />
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-39273994931637375942017-08-31T16:02:00.000+01:002017-08-31T16:12:08.737+01:00Adventures in Borneo (1) Kota Kinabalu and The North Borneo Railway<b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are two distinct sides to Malaysia.</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: justify;"> West (Peninsular) Malaysia and East (Borneo) Malaysia and they are separated by the South China Sea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trav and have explored most of the Malaysian peninsular including the islands of Penang and Langkawi on the west side and Perhentian Islands on the east but up until now we haven’t ever ventured across to Malaysian Borneo. That all changed when we flew from Kuala Lumpur to the town of Kota Kinabalu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Kota Kinabalu or KK is known is the capital of the northern part of Borneo and is the gateway to the Kinabalu National Park. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many people come here to climb Mount Kota Kinabalu – but not us – we were here for a train ride!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Riding on the North Borneo Railway is like stepping back in time</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and travelling through towns and jungle in the heart of Borneo on one of the very few wood-fuelled engines left in the world today. Originally manufactured by the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows Lancashire UK and part of a fleet that have plied the tracks through Borneo since the late 1800’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We had the most amazing day</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> travelling on this fabulous old steam train re-living the by-gone era of old colonial times. We were given travel 'passports' and they were stamped at every town we went through. We had breakfast on the outbound journey and a traditional 'Tiffin Lunch' on the way back as we passed through town and tunnels and jungle and waved at cheering waving people as we chugged along. It felt so romantic and nostalgic - and steamy hot. The carriage windows were open for the whole time and it felt wonderful once we got up some speed to have a breeze coming into the train along with wafts of wood smoke from the engine. You can find out more about the historic North Borneo Railway on their website <a href="http://www.suteraharbour.com/rail-train-sunset-cruise/north-borneo-railway-train" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All aboard the North Borneo Express!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back in Kota Kinabalu, </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">we spend the first few nights in a budget hotel in town</span>,<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> so we could enjoy the waterfront bars and restaurants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>The reason for this trip </b>was to see Orangutans in the wild at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre – the precious home of the last wild Orangutans of North Borneo. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was SO excited!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Meeting Orangutans in the wild in Borneo is the subject of</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> my next travel blog post – so please pop back soon - u</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">ntil then I’ll leave you with this sweet photo!</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love, Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-2488780320967518762017-08-28T09:52:00.005+01:002017-08-29T03:58:12.362+01:00Fun in the sun – or playing a dangerous game?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sunshine: </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It lifts our mood because it boosts serotonin. It provides us with vitamin D. It is essential for absorbing calcium, keeping our bones healthy, and for protecting against serious chronic diseases later in life such as osteoporosis. It gives us more energy and allows for an outdoor lifestyle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I love to be bathed in sunshine and for the past four years, my husband Trav and I have been following the sun around the world, so that we can live in perpetual sunshine. I love the beach. I love swimming in the sea and the ocean. I love being on a boat. I love running around in shorts and a vest – and even better - a bikini. I love exposing my skin to the sun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And guess what…. I never use sun screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>I can hear you gasp. ‘No Sunscreen! Are you crazy?’</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I don’t think I’m crazy because I’m careful to limit my time exposed to the sun and then I simply cover up. I tan easily and I never let myself burn - my skin is tanned from long slow exposure to the sun. I always have a hat, a cover up and a sarong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>That said - this year I noticed some strange new moles appear on my body. </b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There were two on my back and two on the top on my leg. I decided that if they changed shape or colour or got much bigger, then I would do something about them - i.e. I would get them checked out. The only thing is, when you are constantly travelling from place to place, it’s difficult to know where to go to get checked out with any medical concerns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But when I was in the Perhentian Islands at a turtle sanctuary (you can read about this amazing trip <a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2017/08/turtle-sanctuary-and-reef-experience-in.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>) and I met a lovely lady called Sally from Kuala Lumpur while we were out on a boat trip together in our swimsuits, we somehow got chatting about moles. Not the wee rodents that might dig up your garden but the ones that appear on your skin. I showed Sally my new moles, and she suggested that I should get them checked out and that when we both got back to KL she would take me to see a skin specialist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thanks to Sally, I got an appointment with Dr Tan at the private Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur straight away. That really is his name - I didn't make it up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>I’d never been to a private hospital before</b> – and this one looked pretty fancy – they even had valet parking at the entrance. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I soon discovered that Dr Tan is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon as well as a skin specialist and, after a short wait in his reception area, I got to meet him. I found he was a friendly, delightful, and impressively qualified professional who had trained in London and Edinburgh. Dr Tan told me that the two moles on my back and one at the top of my leg were nothing at all to be concerned about – just normal moles – and that he could remove them straight away BUT that he was concerned about the other one at the top of my leg which would certainly need a biopsy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dr Tan asked me how long I was staying in Kuala Lumpur and I replied ‘just a few days’. But, when he looked me kindly in the eye and suggested that I stuck around for a week until he had the biopsy results, I started to feel a bit worried.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I wish I’d taken a photo of the suspicious mole to show you before it was removed for biopsy but I didn’t – but to describe it – it wasn’t a regular shape like the others as it had raggedy edges and was mottled in colour (light and dark brown) and neither was it raised above the skin like the others – this one was flat and under the skin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So just a short while after consulting with Dr Tan in his surgery I found myself on his operating table with two nurses in attendance and Dr Tan providing local anaesthetics to each mole (that really stung!) and wielding his laser and then carefully cutting out the suspicious one for biopsy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>During the consultation</b>, I also thought to mention the two unsightly rough brown spots that I had on either side of my face. This was purely a vanity thing - but as I was in the hands of a top plastic surgeon - I asked Dr Tan if he could burn them off too and he was happy to oblige!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trav and I then extended our stay in KL and waited for the results of the biopsy while I healed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You are probably thinking that seeing a top surgeon in a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur would cost a fortune – and I was rather afraid that it might.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was initially hoping that my travel/health insurance policy might cover it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Imagine what such a bill would be in Europe or the USA or Canada for instance?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But, as my total bill for all the treatment here in Kuala Lumpur came to less than £400 GBP, I didn’t even have to bother putting it through my insurance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>How amazing is that?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I do know that in the UK I could have seen a specialist for free under the NHS – but how long would it have taken for me to even get an appointment? And, if I did turn out to have skin cancer, surely a timely initial appointment would make a huge difference to a healthy outcome?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The biopsy results took just five days to land in my inbox and to my great relief, it was good news. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The mole was not malignant skin cancer. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was a Seborrheic Keratosis - a type of harmless skin growth that bears a resemblance to skin cancer. I was very fortunate indeed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So what now? A lesson learned?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="text-align: justify;">Life is for living and I love living in sunshine.</span>..</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Well, I’m now using sunscreen on my face and wearing a hat even more to shade my face and hopefully stop the brown patches reappearing on my now brown-patch-free face. I’m still happy not to use sunscreen on my body to be honest – my moles were not cancerous melanoma - so I’ll continue to get a bit of sun but to then cover up to prevent getting sunburned as I've always done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Life is for living and I love living in the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What about you? Do you too love sunbathing? Do you use sunscreen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love, Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-478098773108116662017-08-26T08:18:00.000+01:002017-11-04T21:24:28.463+00:00Turtle sanctuary and reef experience in Perhentian Islands Malaysia...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydRAKEqAFMOhDonkoDz1ATt_cyTexOpdbAQGsEdi8WTwAxPFYSkvbXAf16KuvnJ6V-EmHlUplZ0_P5FcCCtHimARM_5r05bMFhn4xy-CoSYcD5ltpY-DkTNCcbghNBnxzYXMd54f6Er0/s1600/turtle+swim+by+owen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="960" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydRAKEqAFMOhDonkoDz1ATt_cyTexOpdbAQGsEdi8WTwAxPFYSkvbXAf16KuvnJ6V-EmHlUplZ0_P5FcCCtHimARM_5r05bMFhn4xy-CoSYcD5ltpY-DkTNCcbghNBnxzYXMd54f6Er0/s640/turtle+swim+by+owen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Swimming with turtles at Rawa Islands off Perhentian. Photo credit: Owen Goulding</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Right now I'm </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>back in Kuala Lumpur </b>– our Asian hub/home – after spending a month in Vietnam. I’m so behind on my travel blogging because we’ve not only been travelling lots but I’ve been working really hard on revisions for my next book. I’ve got a bit of breathing space now - until my editor gets back to me - so I’m keen to get this blog up to date at last and tell you all about the fantastic adventures and places we have travelled to since my last travel blog which was on catching up with friends and family in the UK in April/May 2017. You can read all about our month back in the UK <a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2017/06/reconnecting-with-family-and-friends-in.html" target="_blank">HERE.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the end of May,</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> we flew from London to return to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After a few days in KL we took a one hour flight to Kota Bharu over to the east coast and then a boat over to the Perhentian Islands. On Perhentian Besar, we stayed at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BubblesTurtleProject/" target="_blank">Bubbles Turtle and Reef Experience</a> which is a dive centre and a turtle conservation sanctuary. It was a fantastic experience and valuable research for my next book – especially watching all the newly hatched baby turtles running to the sea!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>It's a one hour flight from KL to Kota Bharu - gateway to the Perhentian Islands</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The moment I set eyes on the Bubbles Resort I was enchanted.</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The water in the bay was so clear and the white sand beach looked so natural and unspoiled because the resort buildings were behind the natural line of the trees and surrounding jungle. The first thing I saw in the trees surrounding the open air reception area was a black haired monkey with a long tail and big white eyes – it was the size of a small child. Apparently, these type of monkeys, unlike others I have encountered in Malaysia or Indonesia, are very shy and so for the rest of our stay,</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> it remained elusive. I also saw a lima</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> for the first time ever. It was clinging to a tree above me eating leaves while its baby clung on and peeped down at me. The lima </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">looked to me like a cross between a fox and a bat – and it ‘flew’ from one branch to another in the tree using its loose body skin as wings. Amazing. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I knew at once that this was my kind of place - basic in accommodation but clean and friendly and with a real focus on the beach and the environment.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Arial view of Bubbles Resort on Perhentian Island</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Arriving by boat</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bubbles Resort is set up to give priority to the turtles who use its beach to lay eggs and guests are briefed on how to be ‘turtle friendly’ – no white lights on the beach from 7pm </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> at night – no walking down the beach past the dive centre on the resort perimeter after 8.30pm. And, after 8.30pm, the common areas of the resort are lit with red</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> light which won’t bother the turtles. This is because man-made white light confuses them as they use the white light of the moon to navigate to the beach to lay their eggs. Nesting turtles are instinctively careful about where they lay their eggs. Some will come ashore and dig several pits before choosing the ‘perfect’ place to lay. Some, dissatisfied with the site, will abandon laying their eggs and try again another night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Interestingly, a turtle can live to up to around 80 years old and doesn’t reach reproductive maturity until it is around 30 years old and it will come back to the beach it was born to lay its own eggs. It will come to the beach over the season three to five times to lay with a period of several days between lays</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Then, as the process takes so much energy, the turtle will rest for a couple of years before going back to the same beach to lay for another season. She will lay over 100 eggs each time. Each one is the size of a pingpong</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> ball. It is soft and it feels papery and quite weighty in the hand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After finding a spot high up on the beach above the tide line, the turtle will begin to dig with her front flippers, thrashing about until she is in a deep pit. Once she feels she is below the natural line of sand she will lay her eggs in a chamber within the pit. Once she starts to lay she enters into a trance-like state and cannot stop laying until she has finished. She then spends a considerable time burying them until, quite exhausted, she drags her considerable weight across the beach and back into the sea. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At Bubbles, every beach hut has a sign on its door the shape of a turtle with ‘yes’ on one side and ‘no’ on the other. This is for guests to be able to indicate to the beach patrol staff at the sanctuary whether or not they want to be alerted to any turtles coming ashore under the light of the moon. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of course, I had mine set to ‘yes’!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>My 'YES' to being alerted to any turtles coming ashore under the light of the moon!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout the week, I was SO lucky to see to see a really huge female green turtle lay her eggs on the beach and to sit and wait quietly with her until she was ready to return to the sea in the early hours of the morning. A truly magical and memorable experience that I'll never ever forget. Also,</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I got to see not just one but TWO nests hatch at the sanctuary and to watch the 149 baby turtles I saw born run from the beach into the sea. Check out this cute video!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I learned so much about the work involved in running a turtle sanctuary on this tiny island off Malaysia. The staff and the volunteers patrol the beach every night to watch out for and deter egg poachers as turtle eggs are sold as a delicacy here in Malaysia. Sometimes staff will simply monitor and guard the nest and count the days of incubation until it is ready to hatch (around 60 days) or, if they think the nest might be at risk from vermin or from the incoming tides, they will painstakingly remove all the eggs and transfer them very carefully to their hatchery. It was in the hatchery that I saw the two nests hatch.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The turtle egg hatchery area</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The empty nest from which the babies climbed out</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Turtle sanctuary staff Holly and James very carefully transferring eggs to the hatchery</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While I was busy at the turtle sanctuary, Trav was diving, and when I wasn’t monitoring turtles on the beach I was out snorkelling with turtles with my new friend Sally and our island guide, Janet. We took a boat out to explore some small uninhabited islands with the most gorgeous beaches and clear warm waters and coral reefs teeming with fish and turtles. Some of the best snorkelling ever because I got to swim with turtles too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Off snorkelling with turtles with my new friend Sally</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Looking down through clear water at all the fish!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Look at the fish in the water..!</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The stunning Perhentian islands - warm clear waters and white sand beaches...</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>My mermaid pose!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Deserted beaches in paradise...</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>While I was out snorkelling or at the turtle sanctuary, Trav was happy diving.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Trav at Bubbles Dive Centre</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I absolutely loved every minute here on Perhentian Besar.</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> We made lovely new friendships with the sanctuary staff and the dive centre staff – special thanks to Holly, James, and Jorges. I also made a new friendship with another guest, Sally, a lovely Canadian lady living in Kuala Lumpur, with whom I made arrangements to meet up with in KL the following week for a night out and a meal in the city.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In my next post, I’ll be back in KL</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> – where we stayed a week longer than expected because, thanks to a chat and advice from Sally about suddenly appearing moles (the ones that grow on your skin not the little garden rodents) I ended up seeing a skin specialist at a KL hospital and then having minor surgery and a mole biopsy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All of that very soon here on the blog - as I endeavour to catch up with our travel and adventures over the past few months to date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Until next time,</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> please do consider signing up for my newsletter. I’ll only ever send you a newsletter when I have writerly news to share, a new book coming out, or special offers and competitions with themed prizes to tell you about. PLUS every new subscriber receives a free copy of my bestselling ebook 'How To Party Online' just for signing up using the form at the top right-hand side of this page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love, Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-65850586870830202882017-06-29T08:48:00.000+01:002017-07-05T13:42:45.827+01:00Reconnecting with family and friends in the UK<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Sadly, in the last week of
April 2017</b>, after Trav and I had been living and working in Bucharest Romania for a
month, we heard news from family in the UK that Trav’s dad had become gravely
ill. It had been less than three months since the death of his mum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trav immediately returned to
the UK to be with his dad during his last days. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Just a few days later, after
his dad had passed away peacefully, Trav returned to Bucharest and together we
packed our bags to leave Bucharest and travel back to the UK to be with family
and to prepare for the funeral.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First, we flew into Scotland
to meet with our son Iain who lives in Glasgow and our son Ben who lives in Edinburgh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>The silver lining in the
dark cloud of our bereavement was that for the second time this year, and in a short
space of just three months, we would get to spend more time with our sons, with my own
mum, and our much-missed family in the UK.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DI7xYiG4iOr0x2Aq5-EKzY8o3Mlgzg2GzPF3gfIdR_0WFTog7Ua1_OUsf-TeowMmzMmWRIzHKOm4im6cMXP3eKrOGfQoyT50H3A6NFnsdju2QLwYuv45Tkw0ZXNqqkF8SRKMZDdN2AI/s1600/glasgow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="960" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DI7xYiG4iOr0x2Aq5-EKzY8o3Mlgzg2GzPF3gfIdR_0WFTog7Ua1_OUsf-TeowMmzMmWRIzHKOm4im6cMXP3eKrOGfQoyT50H3A6NFnsdju2QLwYuv45Tkw0ZXNqqkF8SRKMZDdN2AI/s320/glasgow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Blue skies over Glasgow</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC0DONdMD4inHFthZiSq5F4GplJpEQw_dL6V3oh2azf9P-Lz_oCDb3A6tDcWQChmPmpD7qzC1PWg1-WcqhjBPPcU1sWRguBlMAc2XQOqREp4pYX-SQOivHVy8kyPciU5C0A-A8NfagqI/s1600/iain+and+alice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="805" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC0DONdMD4inHFthZiSq5F4GplJpEQw_dL6V3oh2azf9P-Lz_oCDb3A6tDcWQChmPmpD7qzC1PWg1-WcqhjBPPcU1sWRguBlMAc2XQOqREp4pYX-SQOivHVy8kyPciU5C0A-A8NfagqI/s320/iain+and+alice.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Our son Iain and his lovely girlfriend Alice</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>During our few days in
Scotland</b>, I also took the opportunity to attend a Romantic Novelist’s
Association lunch in Edinburgh. It had been several years since I’d met up with
my friends in the RNA Scottish Chapter. When I saw on our group Facebook page
that a lunch meeting was being arranged for the morning I arrived back, I
jumped at the chance to go along. I took the train from Glasgow and it was wonderful to see blues skies over Edinburgh and all my Scottish
writer friends again face to face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzE_fgKmclOPxBRMMyf7gAO9tDDYqSgP1ItRiU2TC5XksUc8m2-9Up2P7m0IKZA3MNb9yDXFBjmoVNydD3aU44BJGFikXeBml3Xxx1dwjqigwOzOPYvHjAlJjRXm4Xwwf4hkLb7SlcvM/s1600/edinburgh1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="960" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzE_fgKmclOPxBRMMyf7gAO9tDDYqSgP1ItRiU2TC5XksUc8m2-9Up2P7m0IKZA3MNb9yDXFBjmoVNydD3aU44BJGFikXeBml3Xxx1dwjqigwOzOPYvHjAlJjRXm4Xwwf4hkLb7SlcvM/s320/edinburgh1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Edinburgh Castle in the sunshine</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxHolGbYy8WMMwMdgp6XmF1lkIzewtS8WTP4y2yO49LFAlCEHh_LhXysHv0i3pRWbkbd93Di0nas7RjiD1iCamr3PiEnK1R83X9aXiiMcF0cyc70mlxe_cXHas37rFOMMtrSO_-xnMtA/s1600/edinburgh2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="623" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxHolGbYy8WMMwMdgp6XmF1lkIzewtS8WTP4y2yO49LFAlCEHh_LhXysHv0i3pRWbkbd93Di0nas7RjiD1iCamr3PiEnK1R83X9aXiiMcF0cyc70mlxe_cXHas37rFOMMtrSO_-xnMtA/s320/edinburgh2.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Blue skies over Princes Street Edinburgh</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="960" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxb1BSMJO_VQTSQ6F3B2K7JHRG-9n1yeh1-Cp2D-hGkL85MAdsvcMQn0D-Md2nlFB3nIVxifa_gAHXpBgof-l-0rreYZSmOEmYEQHD96ppLR4TPQ8ORKdggeFoiQ0fGzccKQZ_TguA7E/s320/srna1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With Rosemary Gemmell in Edinburgh</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkFYTy8yaytFJqL9rKZwXS5xqxgcEpG-tx26DUYGWudpzOvFaqFbJSrtwV3wsEgNEgWmAZMZvHlD-K_QDuJZzMte1PrZwi0VjsF0RZPBz3jyv4SaBs2sPx7rtIMPkyGrNpruMB7L6pUI/s1600/srna2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="717" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkFYTy8yaytFJqL9rKZwXS5xqxgcEpG-tx26DUYGWudpzOvFaqFbJSrtwV3wsEgNEgWmAZMZvHlD-K_QDuJZzMte1PrZwi0VjsF0RZPBz3jyv4SaBs2sPx7rtIMPkyGrNpruMB7L6pUI/s320/srna2.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With Eileen Ramsay - chair of the Romantic Novelist's Association </i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfs2THZ-XmDTy3Qm8v2BVaGTH6Icnbb6uxBuW37-g8uOJN06_VbzmvnjueivmVZyLNZ5h0mLcLVWM8q9J1h6Oy03DBF0lWgSo-h83sn-pUoCFE7OyXrvzAsJObYhomAKevuSCQ_zChb0/s1600/srna3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfs2THZ-XmDTy3Qm8v2BVaGTH6Icnbb6uxBuW37-g8uOJN06_VbzmvnjueivmVZyLNZ5h0mLcLVWM8q9J1h6Oy03DBF0lWgSo-h83sn-pUoCFE7OyXrvzAsJObYhomAKevuSCQ_zChb0/s320/srna3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>It was wonderful to catch up with my Scottish writer friends in Edinburgh</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also, while we were in
Edinburgh</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, we got together with our son Ben and his lovely girlfriend Hayley
and all her family.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3cbdpS7hEU_IYwIeTVIDOhtFyWq6mrZhmlnsckKwaykP6fkygG1uUwpi4ftd7Bkx4fYU7EfrLJ1AMtpsH9eX5sNSDtM3SWMcqVb4vFf3bIrOZufGd1moMPCQ0PBATe1KCa7gNSCIsAs/s1600/IMG_2878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3cbdpS7hEU_IYwIeTVIDOhtFyWq6mrZhmlnsckKwaykP6fkygG1uUwpi4ftd7Bkx4fYU7EfrLJ1AMtpsH9eX5sNSDtM3SWMcqVb4vFf3bIrOZufGd1moMPCQ0PBATe1KCa7gNSCIsAs/s320/IMG_2878.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Trav and I with Hayley and Ben at the bowling club</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hayley is a ladies champion
bowls player and there was a match being played that day at the local bowling club. It was a fun day and a welcome chance to spend quality time with Ben and Hayley especially when
in just a few day’s time – the day after his grandad’s funeral – they were
looking forward to their three-week holiday in Orlando Florida.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRG8UumkjvhMYDKEA8ikkDNwZG54RuL5-zuK6jZVak23JFRnxsecvUPfzACp2d4hoFAwsUhIZkM-j23sHcFBTZVearHMsFkzcKade6LB5dwWhf530fIOHgaSqd6opP9MOZBuyzHVE88U/s1600/IMG_2860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1097" data-original-width="1600" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRG8UumkjvhMYDKEA8ikkDNwZG54RuL5-zuK6jZVak23JFRnxsecvUPfzACp2d4hoFAwsUhIZkM-j23sHcFBTZVearHMsFkzcKade6LB5dwWhf530fIOHgaSqd6opP9MOZBuyzHVE88U/s320/IMG_2860.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hayley in action</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Hayley's mum Andrea and Graham</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCTKlMvbL9ZdFTpItFtp56HDHEldz3-5vYT1aOHNaLHv42jfiW-8Q8CUINhQMA5_9uMwxUf8cQDtnGsIA6virVxLh68HMjScUgREtS-1OKYZHWPzx02PKgmNEf7k5cCSIXdwYsp_xkzg/s1600/18361656_120332000657164335_746752497_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCTKlMvbL9ZdFTpItFtp56HDHEldz3-5vYT1aOHNaLHv42jfiW-8Q8CUINhQMA5_9uMwxUf8cQDtnGsIA6virVxLh68HMjScUgREtS-1OKYZHWPzx02PKgmNEf7k5cCSIXdwYsp_xkzg/s320/18361656_120332000657164335_746752497_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Fun at the bowling club with Ben and Hayley and her family</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Trav and I travelled down to
England</b> by train and were once again so grateful to our best friend Dina, who had
generously offered to share her home with us again while we were in the UK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEtu85gSJUd4wkzkx-738iw3AF-qWflvS-VrBeo2DxSg7mDkWZSJuu3QpCZboS9d6Ozwto1_AIWdgKm8XyWWbAj7AX7FwC8eaeiUYgBmyz1t5XWOFeJPpQp5IOQYRGX4u8pWQ7zSUeU8/s1600/20170522_133439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1297" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEtu85gSJUd4wkzkx-738iw3AF-qWflvS-VrBeo2DxSg7mDkWZSJuu3QpCZboS9d6Ozwto1_AIWdgKm8XyWWbAj7AX7FwC8eaeiUYgBmyz1t5XWOFeJPpQp5IOQYRGX4u8pWQ7zSUeU8/s320/20170522_133439.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Hanging out with my best friend Dina</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b style="font-size: 12pt;">In the days before the
funeral,</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> we managed to have some fun times with Dina in our old home town of
Widnes and we also got to spend a great day out in Liverpool - exploring all
the tourist sites like the Albert Dock and the Caven Club.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>The day of the funeral</b> was
an emotional one for all the Horton family. For Trav and his brothers, Rob and
Stuart, to lose both parent’s in such a short time was heart-breaking. As it
was for all eight grandchildren to lose their grandparents. Their legacy of
course will live on in them all and also in their one great-grandchild, Aaron,
who lives in South Korea and whom they sadly had never met. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>A short time after the
funeral,</b> on a solemn grey and rainy day in May, Jimmy and Dot’s ashes were
buried together in the same Runcorn cemetery where their parent’s had been laid
to rest. A small and intimate service was held with just their three son’s and wives present. Trav, being the eldest of the brothers, said a few words
over his parent’s grave while we all held hands and said our last goodbyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>For mid-May, initially from Bucharest, </b>I had booked flights to London in order to attend the
Romantic Novelist’s Association Summer Party. This writer’s networking event is
a great opportunity for writers to get together with publishers and agents and
other writing professionals. As I had been out of the country off and on for
almost four years, I also saw this event as a great opportunity, not only for
me to meet up with my writer friends, but to put my finger back on the pulse of
the writing industry and to see what had changed over the past few years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>I had hastily re-organised my travel arrangements</b> and I was very excited to be accompanied to
the event and staying with my lovely writer friend Linn B Halton, who lives
outside London. Linn and I hadn’t seen each other face to face (if you don’t
count Skype) since the Festival of Romance several years before so you can
imagine how much we had to talk about!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsd67SDIeybE85s87vHTqYUl7quM1kLpl4OXuGziuFWaVTqVCaTfEvxNxGsW9q1n-Vadl70fJ-l7W3OVqXIU6IlyuLJJM4-gbsCdWEeJzFabzFEE0Ajx6WPy9eitVNXmO6Oj4pR5REyF8/s1600/IMG_2986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsd67SDIeybE85s87vHTqYUl7quM1kLpl4OXuGziuFWaVTqVCaTfEvxNxGsW9q1n-Vadl70fJ-l7W3OVqXIU6IlyuLJJM4-gbsCdWEeJzFabzFEE0Ajx6WPy9eitVNXmO6Oj4pR5REyF8/s320/IMG_2986.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Ready for the RNA Summer Party -with my lovely friend Linn B Halton</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Linn and I travelled to London together
by train, had a fabulous lunch in an Italian restaurant in Piccadilly, and then caught up
with other Romantic Novelist’s for pre-party drinks. It was so great to see
everyone again. Below are a few photos with my lovely writer chums!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_i7HgVxPLRQ3SLHHGT1pB4l-yMTkFxbjS3iPQukYlZav3WL4B-1m2FzvtfJI6RJi4K59LsMQ6Vd0tduvsnv40_DLQ5gyJZ-iXianwuWFnOkWc5k1sJ2YTQqThTGZZdZOQok6q4YtsMo/s1600/IMG_2961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_i7HgVxPLRQ3SLHHGT1pB4l-yMTkFxbjS3iPQukYlZav3WL4B-1m2FzvtfJI6RJi4K59LsMQ6Vd0tduvsnv40_DLQ5gyJZ-iXianwuWFnOkWc5k1sJ2YTQqThTGZZdZOQok6q4YtsMo/s320/IMG_2961.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With Linn having lunch in London</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-Bkm0Q88nP3VfrTE47fX6bn0XokrkRelhyphenhyphenpl3EcyO5xuv7yH_0PuxegJmSV_w2P25_JVvEuQfr0NTzlYw_IWaf8y12lolIfuscebCWpR5RHFyU95sBKwgEKi2v4jmau-cW7_BE7m_gs/s1600/sp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-Bkm0Q88nP3VfrTE47fX6bn0XokrkRelhyphenhyphenpl3EcyO5xuv7yH_0PuxegJmSV_w2P25_JVvEuQfr0NTzlYw_IWaf8y12lolIfuscebCWpR5RHFyU95sBKwgEKi2v4jmau-cW7_BE7m_gs/s320/sp1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Pre-party cocktails with lovely writer friends</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RDNhVPwRnud_nwFD-ckOR0KzWFRQS1RaY0vU68l9RkFlUjsZwgcttapnuG1VXlO48pmDb-ScaejD1TAEpbtN3ShGfsgnL2hN62UbWUjYiLEjQEOxQRsN5BAraeSUc-nfwPuQh5dOUYk/s1600/me+mandy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RDNhVPwRnud_nwFD-ckOR0KzWFRQS1RaY0vU68l9RkFlUjsZwgcttapnuG1VXlO48pmDb-ScaejD1TAEpbtN3ShGfsgnL2hN62UbWUjYiLEjQEOxQRsN5BAraeSUc-nfwPuQh5dOUYk/s320/me+mandy.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With Mandy Baggot</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ7jrZJPZK01xXJBtQjjjKE7eOXJkJXRHtCcXke1l6CSDCLopaAMvbrkk-CVkKEQ0-goFRxw7bpoV8pMpflqL63qXS5sUnSBakK96quExlyBO3hJnRvQEEeNKSi8x7-aRcljfp0XwXjY/s1600/me+talli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="717" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ7jrZJPZK01xXJBtQjjjKE7eOXJkJXRHtCcXke1l6CSDCLopaAMvbrkk-CVkKEQ0-goFRxw7bpoV8pMpflqL63qXS5sUnSBakK96quExlyBO3hJnRvQEEeNKSi8x7-aRcljfp0XwXjY/s320/me+talli.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With Talli Roland who also writes as Leah Mercer</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL17aJUDu6-qJqD1vVF8XQhdS2_Vgvr4VlT0bLXnXv7lhQZGd6cOqjCavP3rs0c1KFAPPtYpPpznfv43-9omqg4ofCzmqTFI7ACZrxGM5fInjr_JO7ynXNBp3YYN7QQcHaBXV6yMKB7qI/s1600/me+and+liz+harris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="717" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL17aJUDu6-qJqD1vVF8XQhdS2_Vgvr4VlT0bLXnXv7lhQZGd6cOqjCavP3rs0c1KFAPPtYpPpznfv43-9omqg4ofCzmqTFI7ACZrxGM5fInjr_JO7ynXNBp3YYN7QQcHaBXV6yMKB7qI/s320/me+and+liz+harris.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With lovely Liz Harris</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Soon, Trav and I felt ready
to move on again.</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> As we don’t have a home of our own in the UK anymore and, as we still
have wanderlust to travel, we were keen to take up our nomadic adventures
again and there is nothing like losing people to remind us of the fragility of
life and how quickly time passes.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Our flight from London to KL via Singapore</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><br />Trav and I want to travel the
world together while we can</b>, while we still have our health, and before we get
too old to do so. Of course, we love and miss our family and friends, but we appreciate they
have busy lives too and being close geographically to them is no guarantee we would
see them often as we'd like anyway. So </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm so grateful to the times in which we live; when we can keep
in touch with our loved ones whenever we like on the internet and, thanks to affordable air travel, no place and no one in the world is much more than 12 hours away from us.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A farewell meal with my family before leaving for SE Asia</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>So we left the UK to fly
back to Asia</b>. We took a flight back to Kuala Lumpur and, while
in a taxi to our hotel in KL, we had some wonderful news from Orlando Florida, where our
son Ben was on holiday with his girlfriend Hayley. He had proposed and Hayley had
became his fiancée.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwO5IEvEJ6sUW7aiUPtAEN7PzpDkuTEvCcU2QXU-6v7kupVw5czKVETL2rDrfRYIn3Dc5fHH1fTXY11sBNojC5r3xsliaoZqKnRbNAicbPQ_eTYrew6h8lUu_HB670n2DJ4McDauLIYLE/s1600/ben+hayley+engaged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwO5IEvEJ6sUW7aiUPtAEN7PzpDkuTEvCcU2QXU-6v7kupVw5czKVETL2rDrfRYIn3Dc5fHH1fTXY11sBNojC5r3xsliaoZqKnRbNAicbPQ_eTYrew6h8lUu_HB670n2DJ4McDauLIYLE/s400/ben+hayley+engaged.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The newly engaged Ben and Hayley in Orlando Florida</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We were thrilled and so excited to see their proposal on
video and to see how happy they are together. Our driver must have wondered
what was going on when he heard me squealing and tearful on the back seat of
his taxi!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After a good night’s sleep in KL, the next morning, we headed straight for the Perhentian Islands off the east coast of peninsula Malaysia. We flew with Air Asia from KLIA2 to Kuta Bharu - a 45 min flight and then took a bus and a boat over the Perhentian Besar (the larger of these islands). It’s a place that has been on our radar for a couple of years now but we have never
been in Malaysia during these island’s short season - between May and September
– after which all boats stop going there and all accommodations close down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>What is special about the
Perhentian Islands you may ask?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Well, for one they are incredibly
beautiful - the beaches are white sand beaches and said to be some of the best in the
world - and the diving and snorkelling too is said to be amazing. But there is one
other very special reason that we headed out to the Perhentians at this time and that is to do
with my current Work In Progress. I needed to go to these islands for research
purposes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>In my next book,</b> I have a heroine who is establishing a turtle conservation
sanctuary on an island– and so for a week I was going to be staying at a turtle conservation center to learn all about sea turtles and turtle hatcheries and baby turtles while
Trav went diving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKM5wsWebkIEguTLY9Zr_LWAP3Ios1BGo1UoXsiwciY748jbjgfUguJZYcIKLRv61cbAvJGMuzmo1qCjEwGsRPg3P-2GdFQ3iwZeqAXfM7AIQ7pIp1TDNo1kp8jGD-ffH4Z4rK5ptwA7U/s1600/DSCN5751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="1600" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKM5wsWebkIEguTLY9Zr_LWAP3Ios1BGo1UoXsiwciY748jbjgfUguJZYcIKLRv61cbAvJGMuzmo1qCjEwGsRPg3P-2GdFQ3iwZeqAXfM7AIQ7pIp1TDNo1kp8jGD-ffH4Z4rK5ptwA7U/s400/DSCN5751.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If I was really lucky, I hoped that on Perhentian Island I would get to see baby turtles hatching and then help to release them
to the sea. If I was really <i>really </i>lucky
I would get to see a nesting turtle returning to the beach that she had been
born on at least thirty years before, to lay her eggs under the light on the
moon, before making her way back into the sea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Please do join me here on
the blog next time to find out more about the beautiful Perhentian Islands and to find
out exactly how very lucky I was!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love,
Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-48693982797769540622017-06-11T08:39:00.000+01:002017-06-29T08:51:01.221+01:00A fabulous month in Bucharest Romania!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Having spent close
to a year in Thailand,</b> Trav and I were feeling ready for a new challenge. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So when our friend Miha, who
we’d first met over three years ago on the island of Utila in the Caribbean and
then again more recently on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand, asked us if we
would be interested in helping her out with the initial set up a new dive centre in Bucharest Romania -
we thought about it for a little while - and then happily accepted!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASxshQKazRaBNRSCbeU_MDbew89kSTcII_TLJpggZsCdN_1U1oZvINz7TPzYlb45XNzVy6YSpbCx7EGD17tObgtCV9f-gXWrR6G7zwVOhjm23xAsoX4Vo9qbdVIdX5cX9C28scJXXhIU/s1600/14712679_10209759688182147_7759853031891995131_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1461" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASxshQKazRaBNRSCbeU_MDbew89kSTcII_TLJpggZsCdN_1U1oZvINz7TPzYlb45XNzVy6YSpbCx7EGD17tObgtCV9f-gXWrR6G7zwVOhjm23xAsoX4Vo9qbdVIdX5cX9C28scJXXhIU/s400/14712679_10209759688182147_7759853031891995131_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Our friendship spans the world. Miha and I first met in the Caribbean.<br />This is us catching up in Koh Tao Thailand.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Miha is a highly qualified
diver – a PADI Staff Instructor – like Trav. She is also an astute business
woman and she had identified a growing appetite for scuba diving in Romania
(her home country).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Miha’s plan was to teach
diving courses in confined water (pool training) in Bucharest and then to offer
open water training (to complete PADI dive qualifications) in various high-end beach resorts
in Greece and elsewhere. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Being able to help out a friend as well
as enjoy some diving in Europe, we agreed to fly to Bucharest. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’d never been to Eastern
Europe before and I knew nothing of Bucharest – even confusing it with Budapest
initially – but all that changed at the beginning of April this year when, after
visiting our son and his wife and our grandson in South Korea, we flew on from Kuala
Lumpur to London and then to Bucharest Romania.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Romania is a breathtakingly
beautiful country. </b>In many ways, its landscape reminded me of south west
Scotland, with its lush farmland and rolling hills. Old town Bucharest is
a beautiful city with ancient buildings and a rich history. It has a Parisian
feel too with many pavement cafes and its own ‘Arch of Triumph’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It soon struck me how affordable
it is to live there and I estimated the cost of living and of goods to be around half
that of the UK. With low cost flights from the UK to Bucharest – and a hot and sunny
summertime climate - and a flight time of just an hour or so, it is a truly amazing
getaway destination for Brits. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">From the moment we arrived, I started snapping
photos of the breathtakingly beautiful city.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>To get over our jet-lag and
catch up on sleep,</b> we checked into the Intercontinental Hotel for our first few nights. The Intercon is the tallest building in
Bucharest and, from the top floor lounge, the city-scape, especially at sunset,
looked magical. Here we met up with Miha again. It was so lovely to catch up
with her and to discuss our exciting plans together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJgfgYeg2DsonjeJNomXFijHfiCsY3wYFEb2vGlB2oS-n1HKFT7zkmM_Z2gZT9UsTpbdKHXSraJt4-BJ0m2OB1kr8utIKpAbZvK8f6mkWOsnPU9wUj8k789hUgBX4FbjZj6qymM4mZCc/s1600/17795899_10210534180843136_1724151470494134137_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJgfgYeg2DsonjeJNomXFijHfiCsY3wYFEb2vGlB2oS-n1HKFT7zkmM_Z2gZT9UsTpbdKHXSraJt4-BJ0m2OB1kr8utIKpAbZvK8f6mkWOsnPU9wUj8k789hUgBX4FbjZj6qymM4mZCc/s400/17795899_10210534180843136_1724151470494134137_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Bucharest Old Town at sundown as viewed the Intercontinental Hotel</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-OCs6Dbupsx42NNsp2yPdyFO8pm6vS_y9y0ZTQDw899GxyDEqsWAiuUoe1wSCD4T8ROxaP9BcRKCfGqDTdzfvS3FPPxDqg9Fk6hS5TKzea-251RixgFGlepdhcsFhth130pQUTbGE7U/s1600/IMG_1947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-OCs6Dbupsx42NNsp2yPdyFO8pm6vS_y9y0ZTQDw899GxyDEqsWAiuUoe1wSCD4T8ROxaP9BcRKCfGqDTdzfvS3FPPxDqg9Fk6hS5TKzea-251RixgFGlepdhcsFhth130pQUTbGE7U/s400/IMG_1947.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Intercontinental Hotel is the tallest building in Bucharest</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Meeting up with Miha again in Bucharest</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IXKq79bxroqshIcSN3skQkW0RJaRcjXPVkeKQp32N6yb13s9_ahG-N_MVNdr3DaTmunUB3lqtmU6SfEsZNrwGC_C1l9LwPMTA19W3HgnbXXiC7Wp5W12yxVv8gAWETxlCfNh3jkAat0/s1600/17842511_10210536573702956_991649571_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="959" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IXKq79bxroqshIcSN3skQkW0RJaRcjXPVkeKQp32N6yb13s9_ahG-N_MVNdr3DaTmunUB3lqtmU6SfEsZNrwGC_C1l9LwPMTA19W3HgnbXXiC7Wp5W12yxVv8gAWETxlCfNh3jkAat0/s400/17842511_10210536573702956_991649571_n.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Fun lift selfies!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljNTFqNmjzuHSlgL0POlX07a8IbLkZunc5O725tZQIhfNEKfd9kYtAQm1N6t6NHZaafpnLouoUdSuI8m6z58NseKhCgq7RX0Js6FyMbUhc6hY2sm-Caqseb6XpfYxi8WNzb-elShEb_0/s1600/IMG_2070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljNTFqNmjzuHSlgL0POlX07a8IbLkZunc5O725tZQIhfNEKfd9kYtAQm1N6t6NHZaafpnLouoUdSuI8m6z58NseKhCgq7RX0Js6FyMbUhc6hY2sm-Caqseb6XpfYxi8WNzb-elShEb_0/s400/IMG_2070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Trav and Miha discuss business in the boardroom!</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25ein9cx7xrb7e6kHMTHWD38dGzRvJrfl0OkvKaLLteGhMm4TAxYHiDcWJ6Zb4FVikggQmg8Ok0j5GeWRrOt1n0XIDKZoJan4KdUK95lNsVeHSYEtMmJVFnB5mP_ruxR6-sxjsOAZN6o/s1600/17857594_10210559269150328_578090540_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25ein9cx7xrb7e6kHMTHWD38dGzRvJrfl0OkvKaLLteGhMm4TAxYHiDcWJ6Zb4FVikggQmg8Ok0j5GeWRrOt1n0XIDKZoJan4KdUK95lNsVeHSYEtMmJVFnB5mP_ruxR6-sxjsOAZN6o/s400/17857594_10210559269150328_578090540_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Miha so generously shared her home, her family, and her country with us!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Then we moved into our new home</b> – a
generously proportioned house that Miha was renting just outside the city close to the airport. Trav
and I had a large bedroom with an en-suite bathroom downstairs and Miha had the
same upstairs. The large living room and outside balcony area was a great space
for entertaining and for study/classroom work. There was also a kitchen downstairs and a spare room for all
the dive gear. At the front of the house there was a busy highway and at the back open farmland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlsN6FIVd1Wtml-JsSciDGUG7vHRwFV5wVRPb3GzGXBMHlNJvhrIUMnhqaTi5cda9lKLutjOXsKmdi0cnZ3PMLpNhpjg4FmNXkxoVerkMBIQNmxJXKaFXAmi4CUVnuoMagBvYN0VJLic/s1600/IMG_2579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlsN6FIVd1Wtml-JsSciDGUG7vHRwFV5wVRPb3GzGXBMHlNJvhrIUMnhqaTi5cda9lKLutjOXsKmdi0cnZ3PMLpNhpjg4FmNXkxoVerkMBIQNmxJXKaFXAmi4CUVnuoMagBvYN0VJLic/s400/IMG_2579.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Our spacious new home just outside the city</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DSDzBCGvNCGmTjOSyWrncv9meN8x4r_OY3awlq8ZSMbhw9wnfdzmHmKv8hxsZCxEvVT8DWyTXq0T9m2uI8wbJLygipCu4EK1cqqZHBDJXkb5mncwJ5nTWQVXWkhE705vnagH32RAGwA/s1600/IMG_2602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DSDzBCGvNCGmTjOSyWrncv9meN8x4r_OY3awlq8ZSMbhw9wnfdzmHmKv8hxsZCxEvVT8DWyTXq0T9m2uI8wbJLygipCu4EK1cqqZHBDJXkb5mncwJ5nTWQVXWkhE705vnagH32RAGwA/s400/IMG_2602.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sitting room and outside balcony were great spaces to entertain and train/study</span></i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjC9tA4vzjQoLKys9fWcuByqWEM9R5xRmkpe3Sh0jFLdBjthOmUBr11R7TqK0WNoRw0GMOrRhXFh2NGD4u7RdzJLjgbARZurl3OINxRluEQ2nWTaZQBNkEv2t4AJH5_mskBo1Yv5G2Ls/s1600/IMG_2594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjC9tA4vzjQoLKys9fWcuByqWEM9R5xRmkpe3Sh0jFLdBjthOmUBr11R7TqK0WNoRw0GMOrRhXFh2NGD4u7RdzJLjgbARZurl3OINxRluEQ2nWTaZQBNkEv2t4AJH5_mskBo1Yv5G2Ls/s400/IMG_2594.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG59AH0ywO0QNzBusH_qUztyqgYgplZzXY-GMviwbkQO_6tRphZMOaofUS9EHRtVh36BvpQB56gl-MJ4O7TbaYLNJyG4cgFqz2EnKrp9aI6gGSMtoWomV47y7Ai07URGFWabkKrnN0pWo/s1600/IMG_2815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG59AH0ywO0QNzBusH_qUztyqgYgplZzXY-GMviwbkQO_6tRphZMOaofUS9EHRtVh36BvpQB56gl-MJ4O7TbaYLNJyG4cgFqz2EnKrp9aI6gGSMtoWomV47y7Ai07URGFWabkKrnN0pWo/s400/IMG_2815.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">At the front of the house there was a busy highway and at the back open farmland</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some of the most memorable times we had in Romania were when Miha generously
introduced us to her family and we
were invited to parties with Romanian food and traditional dancing! We were
also invited to spent a weekend in the countryside with more of Miha’s wonderful family, who
generously shared their Easter lunch with us on their apple farm. In contrast
to city life in Bucharest, they have an idyllic and timelessly wonderful rural lifestyle, with hens and
goats and acres of rolling fields filled with apple trees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Above: pictures of us at a family party with traditional Romanian food and dancing!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Above: Photos of our amazing Easter weekend in the Romanian countryside with Miha's family</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Country life: Romany with their horse and traditional wooden cart</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We stopped at the side of the road to chat to this man and his wife and to buy smoked cheese from him. The most delicious smoked cheese I've ever tasted.</span></i></td></tr>
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lots of Miha’s good friends, who we now consider to be our good friends too. Special love and thanks to Ana and Claud and to Roxana and Kookie for their kindness and hospitality.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Evening drinks on the terrace with Claud and Ana at Roxana's and Kooki's house</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A party at Roxana and Kooki's house</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Me and Miha</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Ana and Claud</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Me and Roxanna</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>One day, while Miha and Trav were busy with diving business</b>, my lovely new friends Anna and Claud, who were also our
first dive trainees, took me to Mogosoaia Castle, a beautiful Brancovesc style palace with an ancient chapel. It was an amazing day and the weather was so sunny and perfect - as you can see from the photographs.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Photos above are from Mogosoaia Castle</i></span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jgOU8ax_wIVgIR-Hx3dPr6qsgJ08vXEptRMjmWsk1O8RVNONpUoBhqufjhdkikeLwmsinMD25VC9SfqPJ5x9fCkkrofTLbUceM08hrz2kY5Wfo_XgbeN6C_utm3yyuSDF5BMT75pOjY/s1600/18056651_10211572955752703_8582539791046380178_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jgOU8ax_wIVgIR-Hx3dPr6qsgJ08vXEptRMjmWsk1O8RVNONpUoBhqufjhdkikeLwmsinMD25VC9SfqPJ5x9fCkkrofTLbUceM08hrz2kY5Wfo_XgbeN6C_utm3yyuSDF5BMT75pOjY/s400/18056651_10211572955752703_8582539791046380178_n.jpg" width="300" /></i></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Photos above of pool training sessions with PADi Open Water Trainees Ana and Claud and Theo</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Also during our time in
Romania, we did a trip into nearby Transylvania and got to visit Bram castle –
otherwise known as Castle Dracula! </b>I absolutely loved this trip – a big tick
off the bucket list for sure!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The beautiful countryside of Transylvania</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>On the way back from Transylvania, we also got to stop off at the equally famous and historic Pele Castle.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Sadly, a month after being in Romania, we heard news from family in the UK that Trav’s dad had
become gravely ill.</b> Although he had been ill for quite some time, it still came as a shock when it had only been three months since the death of Trav's mum in mid-January. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Trav
returned to England to be with his dad during his last days. He then returned to Bucharest after
his father had passed away and, just a few days later, with our work in Romania done, T</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">rav and I said a fond farewell to Miha and to our new friends and we returned to</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> the UK to be with the family and to prepare for the funeral.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sadly, Trav's mum and dad both died within three months of each other.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Again,
we were grateful to our best friend Dina,</b> who once again so generously offered to share
her home with us for what would be another month back in the UK. The
silver lining in the dark cloud of our bereavement was that we got to spend
time with our UK based sons Ben and Iain, and with Dina, and with my own mum and our much-missed family
in the UK.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You can find out more about Miha's dive center by clicking this link to her website <a href="http://blueridesplanet.com/" target="_blank"><b>Blue Rides Planet</b></a> and her <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlueRidesPlanet/" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a>.</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next
time here on the blog, I’ll be chatting about our month reconnecting with
family and friends. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ll
also be sharing my newsy lunch with writer friends in Edinburgh attending the Scottish
Romantic Novelist’s Association and my big trip to London to attend the Romantic
Novelist’s Association Summer Party.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Love, Janice xx</i></span></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-74427007370963841272017-05-01T20:02:00.002+01:002017-05-10T09:20:06.859+01:00Horton-Kang family time in South Korea!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We are back in South Korea and it’s been a little over a year since we were last here</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> visiting
our son James, our daughter-in-law Sujeong, our grandson Aaron who is now two years old, and the rest of our Korean family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNv7jCmxm0b9BDJ5gqu7JRK-QB_PqLTTpIt9zarrKxQ-xzg-MBqjnxV5NkBzCmYlQHszOfpP9-rFl0OxwVh6Z5zNwQqP5KSnN-46N9Qa_SPckmS8-AKPHnsKnMThqCnLWgocWYt2YO2sY/s1600/meaaronbench1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNv7jCmxm0b9BDJ5gqu7JRK-QB_PqLTTpIt9zarrKxQ-xzg-MBqjnxV5NkBzCmYlQHszOfpP9-rFl0OxwVh6Z5zNwQqP5KSnN-46N9Qa_SPckmS8-AKPHnsKnMThqCnLWgocWYt2YO2sY/s640/meaaronbench1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Sitting in the springtime sunshine with Aaron outside Daegu library in South Korea</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We originally booked this much anticipated trip as a visa run from Thailand - taking advantage of an Air Asia sale earlier
in the year - but since then we’d had a big change of plan and now, after our week
in South Korea, we were heading back to Europe instead of Thailand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">(You can read about this big
change of plan by clicking <a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2017/04/a-big-change-of-plan.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our
son James teaches English in South Korea</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and he and his family live
in a big city called Daegu. Since our last visit they have moved into a new and
bigger apartment, so instead of us having to stay in a hotel, this time we could
stay in their home. It was wonderful to be able to help with Aaron, who is now two years old, especially
at bath time before bed and in the mornings when he was full of energy and
wanted to play. His favourite toys are his musical instruments and his play
kitchen. He also has a great fondness for his small toy buses in the same way that
James used to love his Thomas the Tank Engine toys many years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Our grandson Aaron is now two years old</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
weather was mostly dry and sunny</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> for our visit and we had
lots of opportunities to take walks out and about in the city and in the park –
especially lovely at this time of year when it is cherry blossom season. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We also took several trips
to Daegu traditional market – one of my favourite things to do - as the market
is very close to the apartment and it is so interesting and colourful and has
so many types of fruit and vegetables, fish and meat and yummy spicy kimchi and
my very favourite dumplings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Another
highlight of the week</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> was spending time with and having meals out
to celebrate being with our Korean family again. Sujeong’s parents and her
brother and sister - the Kang family - are so lovely and welcoming and hospitable and it was so
great to see them all again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The week went by so quickly
and soon it was time for Trav and I to say an emotional farewell and take the
KTX fast train back to the airport. The distance between Daegu and Seoul is
about the same distance between Manchester and London in the UK and the train journey
takes around two and a half hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our
flight back to Malaysia</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> on the 5th April (our son Iain's birthday - who we were thinking of all day too) would take seven-hours. Arriving late in Kuala Lumpur,
we would stay overnight in KL before taking a direct fourteen-hour
flight to London early the next morning. Then after a night at London Heathrow, we had a three-hour flight to our
destination of Bucharest Romania.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>A total in the air/flying time of twenty-four hours with two quick stops!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next
time</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
I’ll be chatting about our fabulous time in Bucharest Romania!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Until
next time</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, please do consider signing up for my book news updates.
I only ever send out a newsletter when I have writerly news to share, a new
book coming out, or special offers and competitions with themed prizes to tell you
about. Every new subscriber receives a free copy of my bestselling ebook 'How
To Party Online' just for signing up using the form at the top right hand side
of this page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love,
Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-44739335571822042092017-04-28T16:25:00.000+01:002017-04-28T16:25:40.592+01:00A big change of plan….<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Right
now, I’m in Bucharest, Romania</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> - yet in my last travel related post here on the blog we were back in Thailand - and I’d indicated that we
planned to stay in Thailand for the foreseeable future. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Well,
it seems that I spoke too soon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We returned to Koh Tao Thailand in the early part of February 2017 after dashing back to the UK on hearing that Trav’s mum was gravely ill (you can read about our bittersweet month
back in the UK by clicking <a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2017/02/january-2017-bittersweet-month-back-in.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>) but then soon accepted an invitation to help a friend in the initial setup of a
new diving venture in Eastern Europe during the spring and summer of 2017. It seemed like a great opportunity and an
exciting venture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But
before we could leave for Bucharest</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, we still had some time to
settle down and to relax and to honour the diving commitments we still had on Koh
Tao.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Plus, we were looking forward to our lovely friends Jenn and Gregg coming
over from the UK for a two-week diving holiday mid-March. Also, at the end of March - which would have been our visa-run had we stayed in Thailand - we also had a trip to South Korea planned to visit our son James, his wife
Sujeong, our two year old grandson Aaron and our Korean side of the family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, during the first week
of February, exhausted from the highs and lows of the past month back in the UK
and from all the travelling, we were more than happy to arrive back to Koh Tao
and get back into a routine. We’d kept our rented villa on Ban's Diving resort on Koh Tao while we were away, and we soon settled back into the easy vibe of island life, enjoying the heat and the sunshine.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFmRNpInrX_TjPeORbaWKqbdvluivKpe_0YSLj2xzcLXV7cLS9aiyY5B8UgIeRl2ET1Ejp3FtfZJavhcfMiBeXXs6mkKwS2JhNfqH-AZECNl3VdNDFAJJlJWkeYP0vT_fjEks3m9YtoE/s1600/Me+and+Trav1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFmRNpInrX_TjPeORbaWKqbdvluivKpe_0YSLj2xzcLXV7cLS9aiyY5B8UgIeRl2ET1Ejp3FtfZJavhcfMiBeXXs6mkKwS2JhNfqH-AZECNl3VdNDFAJJlJWkeYP0vT_fjEks3m9YtoE/s400/Me+and+Trav1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Settling back into the easy vibe of island life on Koh Tao</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJDm6KNI_54s1O88ty3LAcgE_-BSVpY5rOxsTlh0MBgmoZeUwpHeJoQfKJnwwT1NwJTYOu_pEC_Jzvc-iYI1EsrQcdwcK5-eq_pxOlbnFJ4QbOFrs4UvA2_bBFgEd0ZPaXWr7aXQlx4A/s1600/home+3+porch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJDm6KNI_54s1O88ty3LAcgE_-BSVpY5rOxsTlh0MBgmoZeUwpHeJoQfKJnwwT1NwJTYOu_pEC_Jzvc-iYI1EsrQcdwcK5-eq_pxOlbnFJ4QbOFrs4UvA2_bBFgEd0ZPaXWr7aXQlx4A/s400/home+3+porch.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Our home on Ban's Diving Resort Koh Tao</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ban’s
Dive Resort on Koh Tao</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> is a large sprawling beachfront island resort. It is an oasis of swaying palm trees with beautiful gardens
and many types of accommodations for all budgets – dorms, rooms, villas and suites
– and it primarily and very successfully caters for scuba divers. I loved living on the resort and our villa was only a few minutes’ walk from one of their four swimming pools that I used every day to swim and then to sunbathe. I enjoyed the restaurants and the beach bar too – to meet with Trav and friends for lunch and
later for sun-downer cocktails at the Darawan restaurant in the hills or for fun and food and live music at Fishbowl Beach Bar.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The entrance to Ban's Diving Resort</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The bridge from reception into the resort garden and accommodation</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The spirit house outside our accommodation</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Asparagus and cheese salad lunch at Fishbowl Beach Restaurant</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Ban's meet and greet transport to bring you to the resort from the pier</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The pool I like to use each morning for my swim and sunbathe</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the other pools at Ban's - used for dive training<br /></span></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Trav and I enjoying sun-downers at the Darawan Restaurant</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Trav enjoying a beer at Fishbowl Beach Bar at Ban's Resort</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Swaying palm trees and a blue blue sky...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>In early march,</b> we were notified by PADI that Trav had earned PADI Elite Status for his work in 2016. As an instructor, in 2016, he had trained and certified over 100 new divers. I am so very proud of him and all he has achieved with his diving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Also in early March, we were invited out with friends to
celebrate their birthdays. During this time it was also my birthday. Trav took me out for a delicious meal at a gorgeous restaurant up in the hills. We arrived at sunset to amazing views. The sunsets on Koh Tao are always breathtakingly beautiful. Afterwards, we were able to wine and dine under the moon and the stars. It was a wonderful birthday.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>A delicious birthday dinner in a restaurant up in the hills with an amazing view</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Mid March we helped with the resort's official annual beach games. </b>That was a lot of fun. Life was
good. The monsoon season was over. High season was just around the corner. The
weather was hot and sunny and I appreciated it even more for having been away
in the cold wintery UK.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Then
our friends Jenn and Gregg arrived</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and we were so excited to
see them again. We’d managed to meet up with them in Liverpool back in January
but we’d first met three years ago in the Bahamas. They were staying at the
wonderful Sandals Resort Nassau and we were staying at an AirBnB accommodation near
Cable Beach. (You can read about our fabulous month spent in the Bahamas by clicking <a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2015/09/the-bahamas-here-we-come.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On
Koh Tao</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, Jenn and Gregg were looking forward to doing their PADI
Open Water dive training at Ban’s Resort and being taught by PADI Staff and
Elite Instructor Trav. They both worked very hard during the classroom and pool
training and then we all went out on the Ban’s dive boat, where at some
fabulous dive sites, Jenn and Gregg completed their course and became qualified
open water scuba divers!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During their ten days on the
island we had a lot of fun. We ate amazing Thai food from both street vendors
and fabulous restaurants. We lazed around the pool and had plenty of time to
take trips to explore and enjoy the island.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRkBlcq1Pflhyphenhyphenf8riYQmowQz6KV0Z6V0lwgz1LnyYRe1Vw2ocbDa5THSmpVAPJdBPyOzg17uuTCVUDgAi33JZfw0TP35Vkv-GCp6E9_v0AXiAgWvb81nrZ0IzjTu0AXUBDL9EM3pLr9s/s1600/20170322_180725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRkBlcq1Pflhyphenhyphenf8riYQmowQz6KV0Z6V0lwgz1LnyYRe1Vw2ocbDa5THSmpVAPJdBPyOzg17uuTCVUDgAi33JZfw0TP35Vkv-GCp6E9_v0AXiAgWvb81nrZ0IzjTu0AXUBDL9EM3pLr9s/s400/20170322_180725.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To finish off their holiday in
style and for us to further enjoy our lovely friend’s company, we all took an
early boat off the island and a flight over to Malaysia to spend a couple of
nights in the city of Kuala Lumpur, from where Jenn and Gregg would fly back to
London and we would fly over to Seoul, South Korea.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
had a fun and fabulous time in KL</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">. We all stayed at the
Intercontinental but also explored other hotels in the city – like the Mandarin Oriental and Trader’s - for the best views of the
city and for the (expensive!) cocktails.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trav and I now think of KL
as our home from home, as we have stayed there so many times over the past couple of years. We use it as our
hub to South East Asia in the same way we used Houston Texas as our gateway to the US
and to Central America and the Caribbean. But Jenn and Gregg hadn’t ever explored
this fabulous city before, so they did more than us this time around, by
visiting the Petronas Towers and walking along the famous Skybridge and
enjoying all the other attractions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We said our fond farewells to our lovely friends in KL, knowing they had enjoyed their well-earned holiday
and that they had achieved so much by qualifying as open water divers. We are
sure that we will share many more fun times with Jenn and Gregg in the future –
no doubt somewhere in the world at a dive resort!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IVuSB7D-EL8dlwnYQr4VHz0oDwcUaVMVoDCLBWWle1rw2nb0hyCHhvKn7q9kTjbuJI6cBQemnuSqiR4mb3914HlGrHuwse1Umj1Dd2dY_ddV2I8gZqTsbtFvNF2CmnhmO5gkwtj1HFk/s1600/17626409_10211309322482036_8323006450972564103_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IVuSB7D-EL8dlwnYQr4VHz0oDwcUaVMVoDCLBWWle1rw2nb0hyCHhvKn7q9kTjbuJI6cBQemnuSqiR4mb3914HlGrHuwse1Umj1Dd2dY_ddV2I8gZqTsbtFvNF2CmnhmO5gkwtj1HFk/s400/17626409_10211309322482036_8323006450972564103_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A fun selfie from beneath the Petronas Towers KL</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CdKHKh6D0DEXxjguU3ROidwlSr6hg7OogBH4pdNJNYsQjEEYoxn2b0OVNZ5L5j_lOdMAhMk913I_wDyqntyjpNRL6g7COfAfsJFr6SA_ydgPkj-R3pI7MFWN5HlSJ9cqf8OnKtPhV3o/s400/kl1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The view of the city from the cocktail bar at the Mandarin Oriental KL</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu5WjYM-_EVPza5LLYmPqpw_pBE_3IVV4d60ACEfk5T4_a86q5dHS8y5QQ_7kR87YwlUixcE00ykP6AUVrAsj0jQSTN3KYdG3rLXeLlgUl4U_VzLuu5YFJl4uewqRlmg5gk4EuE36tVE/s1600/lift+selfie+kl+orint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu5WjYM-_EVPza5LLYmPqpw_pBE_3IVV4d60ACEfk5T4_a86q5dHS8y5QQ_7kR87YwlUixcE00ykP6AUVrAsj0jQSTN3KYdG3rLXeLlgUl4U_VzLuu5YFJl4uewqRlmg5gk4EuE36tVE/s400/lift+selfie+kl+orint.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Another fun lift selfie at the Mandarin Oriental KL</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My
next blog post will be all about our fabulous week in South Korea</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">,
where we stayed with our son James and our daughter-in-law Sujeong. We enjoyed
lots of quality time with them and our grandson Aaron, and also with the rest of our lovely Korean
family, whom we hadn’t seen for just over a year – and I took lots of photos!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9pFmrOaIsAjJzynzG6-_pMvCf5SpbwO9fbAlZKzuKTY-4nwj5fou9awls7XgrZM5FKzagLOsko2N2fZtxrfWS7Tz_NVHhUkPFF5YAWVqn-VY6NQF87vRMUU3Amh-aBZrk2F2F0fwaXk/s1600/IMG_1769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9pFmrOaIsAjJzynzG6-_pMvCf5SpbwO9fbAlZKzuKTY-4nwj5fou9awls7XgrZM5FKzagLOsko2N2fZtxrfWS7Tz_NVHhUkPFF5YAWVqn-VY6NQF87vRMUU3Amh-aBZrk2F2F0fwaXk/s400/IMG_1769.JPG" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Our grandson Aaron is now two years old. </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Until
next time</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, please do consider signing up for my book news updates.
I only ever send out a newsletter when I have writerly news to share, a new
book coming out, or special offers and competitions and offers to tell you
about. Every new subscriber receives a free copy of my bestselling ebook 'How
To Party Online' just for signing up using the form at the top right hand side
of this page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love,
Janice xx<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-76478843690091151112017-03-06T05:53:00.000+00:002017-03-06T09:50:18.094+00:00Observations and Snippets from my Favourite Trippets #1<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As
we venture into our fourth year travelling the world, I’m planning a
new series of retrospective blog posts to focus on some very special
places that I’ve only previously covered on this blog in overview.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In
this post, I’m highlighting Hemingway’s House in Key West Florida.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our
visit to the Hemingway House in Key West</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> was one of the highlights of our trip
to Florida. This was the home of Ernest Hemingway, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 and the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1954 "for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated with The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence he has exerted on contemporary style". The house too is impressive and has the distinct air and rich ambiance of old world elegance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7ci-Txt6Jaqx-iOhzRd2MLuto2UHMuiXS3wN7qPCsyA2lvN3R-r4ORd7P1Fye0zlBk5jM4dP3NiZSI3XS9X5We3oyczwRWN7yxb8cNVOueQY3MtJZ0PrGgvB_uC-C_9fXsFw4iJaJSY/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7ci-Txt6Jaqx-iOhzRd2MLuto2UHMuiXS3wN7qPCsyA2lvN3R-r4ORd7P1Fye0zlBk5jM4dP3NiZSI3XS9X5We3oyczwRWN7yxb8cNVOueQY3MtJZ0PrGgvB_uC-C_9fXsFw4iJaJSY/s640/house.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The house is impressive and has the distinct air and rich ambiance of old world elegance</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A high brick boundary keeps
the property private but the view from the first-floor wrap around porch takes
in not only the garden but the adjacent street in what is an affluent
residential part of </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I loved walking around the airy
rooms and the book-lined hallways, taking in all the family photographs and the
personal effects. I could almost pretend I was a house guest exploring the place
while Ernest and Pauline (Hemingway’s second wife) had just popped out
momentarily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnmdhFbAEmKW3ZFt8ZeiWSsG0JhII9a741K9VGjCVBteAzzKPxIJ1ZuaWgMjWPQkzuexEeGnTx12FOESzDqzE6Y_S45Ca7EDOGTxcC9uWqbZsd1f4jcShFfBANe7nU-YQdCwRHqoKiA8/s1600/IMG_5564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnmdhFbAEmKW3ZFt8ZeiWSsG0JhII9a741K9VGjCVBteAzzKPxIJ1ZuaWgMjWPQkzuexEeGnTx12FOESzDqzE6Y_S45Ca7EDOGTxcC9uWqbZsd1f4jcShFfBANe7nU-YQdCwRHqoKiA8/s400/IMG_5564.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>I could almost pretend I was a house guest exploring the place while Ernest and Pauline had popped out momentarily</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The house gives the visitor a
real feel for the life the Hemingway’s led in Key West during the 1930’s.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsSZWRk3cn5KIvyw_TI9V9uP_DLrKmCmk5LItIJVE9RdDpp4M58cqmOncgCcC1NkoJZUzFe532D9QF-h6v6oOEANyrcOu5Nq2LOnG4vi1QArlOgn6TZ2le95VDhnUCnjQUntZK1yXWhQ/s1600/IMG_5712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsSZWRk3cn5KIvyw_TI9V9uP_DLrKmCmk5LItIJVE9RdDpp4M58cqmOncgCcC1NkoJZUzFe532D9QF-h6v6oOEANyrcOu5Nq2LOnG4vi1QArlOgn6TZ2le95VDhnUCnjQUntZK1yXWhQ/s640/IMG_5712.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Ernest and Pauline Hemingway</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6mrs72s0IvoEiaLCM-wIxnzbtOWJin_mwhgaiSbPMLnNAwP7BqgKS9muOYLJ9eu_Ty7p8HtLlheYp0KPuRnPAmIWAo7EbQuERTKwK-zTAN_BoCvVdCGgF8zEFBgjWvAdRwRbIFIk8Nk/s1600/hemingway+montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6mrs72s0IvoEiaLCM-wIxnzbtOWJin_mwhgaiSbPMLnNAwP7BqgKS9muOYLJ9eu_Ty7p8HtLlheYp0KPuRnPAmIWAo7EbQuERTKwK-zTAN_BoCvVdCGgF8zEFBgjWvAdRwRbIFIk8Nk/s640/hemingway+montage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The life of Ernest Hemingway from photographs at his home in Key West</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our tour guide happily gave
out lots of insider information about the history of the house, the escapades
of the children, the Hemingway marriage, the huge row over the swimming pool
and Ernest Hemingway’s ‘last penny’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The story is that the swimming
pool, which replaced what had been Ernest's personal boxing ring, was contracted at
great expense by Pauline after she found out about her husband’s affair with Martha
Gellhorn, his third wife to be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When Ernest came back from assignment to find out
the exorbitant cost of the pool, he was reported to have thrown a penny onto the
ground in front of Pauline, saying, ‘you’ve spent all but my last penny, so you
might as well have that!’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pauline had the penny set
into the path where it lay. It is still there today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SHKqwnh1JxNt7dIfmGFeKwB3k0asCmXmeBuszxm61MOs3JCIlPXa5OQ23tQofF6XpThX-L0FL0JYrBSjp9nC5OdeKfSVfUcwHlaf984wLqkgxvwBC_8Dp6sSMPcvYvPWUYDG_eF6fxM/s1600/IMG_5613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SHKqwnh1JxNt7dIfmGFeKwB3k0asCmXmeBuszxm61MOs3JCIlPXa5OQ23tQofF6XpThX-L0FL0JYrBSjp9nC5OdeKfSVfUcwHlaf984wLqkgxvwBC_8Dp6sSMPcvYvPWUYDG_eF6fxM/s640/IMG_5613.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The swimming pool that Hemingway said had cost him his last penny</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another extraordinary feature
of the house are all the cats that reside there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These are descendants of
a six-toed cat called Snowball. One of Snowball’s kittens (named Snow White) was
gifted to Ernest Hemingway by a salvage and shipwreck captain (a respected and
official position in those days) called Harold Stanley Dexter. Ever since, the
six-toed gene has been passed down through all the generations of cats at the
Hemingway house. All were named after Ernest’s famous friends. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The cat in this photo is
Rita Hayworth.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcFm5idLfOLFM1Gx3x7wXyqYyuaPzhwOL-saZC8zag8OYmMyshogPVCAIG5wgPs1wXKguu59vxa7KL8oWvSxczRHqOkh8atD_-7ou8ifSD9tXU6nqDpVa5o4EfB1f-mA0470lilHBops/s1600/cats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcFm5idLfOLFM1Gx3x7wXyqYyuaPzhwOL-saZC8zag8OYmMyshogPVCAIG5wgPs1wXKguu59vxa7KL8oWvSxczRHqOkh8atD_-7ou8ifSD9tXU6nqDpVa5o4EfB1f-mA0470lilHBops/s640/cats.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>On the left - Rita Hayworth. On the right - a six toed paw!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was so engrossed and enthralled
by the house and its history and the life of Hemingway, that the following day we
visited the Hemingway museum in town. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are many exhibits and pictures and movie
posters reflecting his work but the centerpiece, which captures a young,
enthusiastic, and adventurous Hemingway fishing off his beloved boat ‘Pilar’, is the
bronze sculptor by Terry Jones (2005).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIcCd_41Gm0KTBA40FGXGfZJmRH05uge2sqBIg6b_d3oBQEBXaBNuY8SjTQYsBPzgYhqu5sN2hGU6fqUyUJsqvv1YMA9At1hOiZ0s42gKbGPvEgl8cJo4hHS797sV_LaO4aaxaYgsOIc/s1600/IMG_5695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIcCd_41Gm0KTBA40FGXGfZJmRH05uge2sqBIg6b_d3oBQEBXaBNuY8SjTQYsBPzgYhqu5sN2hGU6fqUyUJsqvv1YMA9At1hOiZ0s42gKbGPvEgl8cJo4hHS797sV_LaO4aaxaYgsOIc/s640/IMG_5695.JPG" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The bronze sculptor of Hemingway by Terry Jones (2005).</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ernest Hemingway’s first
visit to Key West in 1928 was only meant to be a way stop, but once he’d felt
the sun on his face, smelt the salty air and met the locals, he knew it would
be his home with second wife Pauline. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroiG3HP0SAMd7OuKQd9dmLCb4iP94hZ3E6Ektr54MADoeQOTHAjjveeLUtv8MljlpDYvo1P8PfEOTqzzL0F9OQMnf6dDMGOrBAF-DM_tR5Z9atqQ-_3bdgF4XitrCM3qbaWg8Lhyphenhyphenw16k/s1600/IMG_5727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroiG3HP0SAMd7OuKQd9dmLCb4iP94hZ3E6Ektr54MADoeQOTHAjjveeLUtv8MljlpDYvo1P8PfEOTqzzL0F9OQMnf6dDMGOrBAF-DM_tR5Z9atqQ-_3bdgF4XitrCM3qbaWg8Lhyphenhyphenw16k/s640/IMG_5727.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A photograph of Ernest Hemingway with his parents and his second wife Pauline in April 1928</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He soon became an avid
sports fisherman. In 1938 he established a world record for catching seven
Marlin in one day. He also garnered a reputation for hard drinking with his new
friends Josie ‘Sloppy Joe’ Russell, fisherman Eddie ‘Bra’ Saunders and his
brother ‘Burge’ and later Toby Bruce who became his right-hand man and
life-long companion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ll give you a short tour of the Hemingway
museum using my photos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoN0V7qnP2mqqpDyIadsWS59MEDLXWg6Gsy2Hd6LdbFHUOHYQhxqiwnky-EUxU_ym62QIIDKdq-HQvrQ24hXLBrVRXeXCmk-tf3kUe8LbWsSL6eVerbDYlMXHLjGpbIHlxQvdEV3Q3nA/s1600/movie+posters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoN0V7qnP2mqqpDyIadsWS59MEDLXWg6Gsy2Hd6LdbFHUOHYQhxqiwnky-EUxU_ym62QIIDKdq-HQvrQ24hXLBrVRXeXCmk-tf3kUe8LbWsSL6eVerbDYlMXHLjGpbIHlxQvdEV3Q3nA/s640/movie+posters.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdeKIUjp7vTbJyaWNQf_TkuQqsy8kSC9tHWYowSkz5lF2f3a_n2NlWmGleHszl-BDIvbfeJ_RImspl_4aL-U3pg0S-zPDblMQZF_MhLFl2g9BYmvimp0mgkWIFhKgZLChrkvuRM2zBnU/s1600/old+man+sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdeKIUjp7vTbJyaWNQf_TkuQqsy8kSC9tHWYowSkz5lF2f3a_n2NlWmGleHszl-BDIvbfeJ_RImspl_4aL-U3pg0S-zPDblMQZF_MhLFl2g9BYmvimp0mgkWIFhKgZLChrkvuRM2zBnU/s640/old+man+sea.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXNB-HR2nm0cyMY9j6FMGS03nLoyuNW2tdS-FEdcuY1COrma70G8IHGHdKOcYLKhZwFDkG2x9y7Hc2EwV_BjDU2ifLAEOOv9VYZCnEzh09lUFou-7LyoJ5_-cGiWCHNvVJL8dM5OW5Mg/s1600/IMG_5697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXNB-HR2nm0cyMY9j6FMGS03nLoyuNW2tdS-FEdcuY1COrma70G8IHGHdKOcYLKhZwFDkG2x9y7Hc2EwV_BjDU2ifLAEOOv9VYZCnEzh09lUFou-7LyoJ5_-cGiWCHNvVJL8dM5OW5Mg/s640/IMG_5697.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A model of Hemingway's beloved boat 'Pilar' in the Hemingway Key West Museum</i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you ever do find yourself
in Florida I urge you to explore the Keys. We took a Greyhound Bus from Miami
and stopped off in Key Largo for a couple of days (which really should warrant another
#Trippets post!) before heading across the famous bridges down to Key West.
There is so much to explore and lots to do there. The food is fabulous and restaurants
plentiful. In Hemingway tradition, bars are a fun feature too. Sloppy Joe's is still there and a new addition is the first and original of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRZkQQv-s_A9GJdQ2UkNHs18DeWtZGFQ5qz4nJkhHpRYIJg_vxcehfFDhNID69l-qJZL9NBkjPlsWLBOFFLTCbWgcEAqTgX_sO2luNCogqUdOH74VFm3R-viC-CmCTHRA_BEn5UEnPI4/s1600/margaritaville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRZkQQv-s_A9GJdQ2UkNHs18DeWtZGFQ5qz4nJkhHpRYIJg_vxcehfFDhNID69l-qJZL9NBkjPlsWLBOFFLTCbWgcEAqTgX_sO2luNCogqUdOH74VFm3R-viC-CmCTHRA_BEn5UEnPI4/s640/margaritaville.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Here I am enjoying a Margarita at the original Margaritaville Key West!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I loved finding out more about
one of my writer heroes and we adored Key West!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Author note:</b> I so enjoyed meeting the six-toed cats that a fictional six-toed offspring features in my next romantic adventure novel 'Island in the Sun' and is aptly named 'Hemingway'!</span></div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-81379940620722258962017-02-14T06:31:00.000+00:002017-02-14T06:38:01.693+00:00January 2017 - a bittersweet month back in the UK<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the end of my previous
blog post written just after New Year – a summary of our travels in 2016 that you
can read by clicking <a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2017/01/2016-epic-year-of-world-travel-and.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> – I mentioned how we had no immediate plans to leave
Koh Tao in Thailand. But that all changed very quickly on the 4th January when we had word that my mother-in-law was gravely ill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VpgiThNWxaVBQgwOQNb2V5RbbgOOameXCcfc3PNRQdLz1xv5oY5fE5_nYSttQuKQE0yr6_UhA9S2Mwsu_CbAkaX6R8bcKbaVXPgRwFB9-KXY-wyjC_FAzflKGM21R-kVHPY7AFGjKtI/s1600/Mum+%2526+Dad+50th+Ann.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VpgiThNWxaVBQgwOQNb2V5RbbgOOameXCcfc3PNRQdLz1xv5oY5fE5_nYSttQuKQE0yr6_UhA9S2Mwsu_CbAkaX6R8bcKbaVXPgRwFB9-KXY-wyjC_FAzflKGM21R-kVHPY7AFGjKtI/s400/Mum+%2526+Dad+50th+Ann.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Happier times: Trav's mum and dad celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We checked for flights back to the UK straight
away - but as it was still peak time for new year holiday travel - we had problems with availability. We left Koh Tao by
boat and bus and plane and headed to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where we knew there was a
flight to London with British Airways the following day, on which could be on standby.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLrBOOi-Z_lvgyycsBzRXJCWHOmpw0L8WtGDzEr24LAuCYs4oOz7wPk0XpECn2mt4XCe5LK-oj_j8nGTZNOCd-q2t0Dsmt4lKG7QS3i0NL9EYGFplEHsHkLyxJF7ZNff5glKQWj1-W8Q/s1600/Collage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLrBOOi-Z_lvgyycsBzRXJCWHOmpw0L8WtGDzEr24LAuCYs4oOz7wPk0XpECn2mt4XCe5LK-oj_j8nGTZNOCd-q2t0Dsmt4lKG7QS3i0NL9EYGFplEHsHkLyxJF7ZNff5glKQWj1-W8Q/s640/Collage+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>We managed to get the last two seats on a flight back to the UK via Hong Kong. </i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We were hoping to get back
to the UK in time to say goodbye to Trav’s mum before she passed away. Trav was on the phone several times a day with his mum’s nursing carers, and the good news was
that his mum had improved slightly, so allowing us more time to get back to
her. The bad news was that we heard Trav’s dad had fallen and badly broken his
hip. He was now in hospital and due to be operated on the very next day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We managed to get the last
two seats on a flight back to the UK via Hong Kong. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Then from London we flew straight
up to Glasgow because our son, Iain, had kindly allowed us to use his car to
save us the cost of car hire. We also managed to see our son, Ben, while we were
in Scotland. We had a meal out on the night we arrived in Edinburgh with him
and his girlfriend Hayley and her family. I hope they didn’t mind that we were suffering
from climate change, we were totally jet lagged, and hadn’t slept for 48 hours!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMfq9ML2iLSSW1T1gbUxsDIUiWbmuJT2U7Q8I1sOSK4EY0-h6_VqUb0M1FL6YrxVZFXeegMRra5X8Lys_uhBYk4cOhhqf-V8809B-Grmtd1IJF0q62Wtn3K6bZQ0vSj1eiGQDKmj8SMc/s1600/Collage+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMfq9ML2iLSSW1T1gbUxsDIUiWbmuJT2U7Q8I1sOSK4EY0-h6_VqUb0M1FL6YrxVZFXeegMRra5X8Lys_uhBYk4cOhhqf-V8809B-Grmtd1IJF0q62Wtn3K6bZQ0vSj1eiGQDKmj8SMc/s640/Collage+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />It had been two years since we’d
been back in the UK and it felt quite surreal to sudden find ourselves back
there. I had been missing my family very much over the Christmas holidays, so I knew this albeit unplanned
trip would be bittersweet time, because it would be wonderful to see family and
friends again but very sad indeed to see Trav’s dad in hospital and his mum for
what would be the very last time. We had been warned she was now in the last
days of her life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After buying some warm
clothes and footwear more suited to the UK in January, we headed down to
England, shivering under gloomy grey and rainy skies. I couldn’t help but to
think of the sunshine we had left behind us in Thailand – until I checked my
Facebook notifications to discover that the very day after we left Koh Tao a
monsoon had hit – bringing the worst rainfall in decades. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m sure that as we had
left so quickly and unexpectedly some peeps might have thought we knew
something was about to happen – but we didn’t – honest!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Once in England, we visited
Trav’s mum and dad, who were in two different locations: Whiston hospital and a
Runcorn nursing home. My best friend, Dina, who happens to live an equal
distance between the two places, kindly said that we could stay with her for
which we were extremely grateful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Often, while Trav was with
his mum and dad, I went to visit my mum and it was so wonderful to spend time with her. I also got to catch up with my
brothers and sisters. It was hard to arrange to see everyone during this unplanned trip, even though we
were back for a month, when everyone worked during the week and often had plans
over the weekend. I did manage to have a meal out with my brothers one evening and to spend a
couple of nights with my sister Lorna and her family at her house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVhH_Wmyih4QlFXNJUENoW3kVPy3ATWwPYKKA9_Qmn17mdgwZRDcgXN3WuIJrT05BQcsCAlwO9ZhDEVVfS-p27bl1JCdj-YoLF8LC3Jn6KKIeOXACZXbdAmmcBZa3Udaw44_J6NDXOZg/s1600/mum+bros+and+me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVhH_Wmyih4QlFXNJUENoW3kVPy3ATWwPYKKA9_Qmn17mdgwZRDcgXN3WuIJrT05BQcsCAlwO9ZhDEVVfS-p27bl1JCdj-YoLF8LC3Jn6KKIeOXACZXbdAmmcBZa3Udaw44_J6NDXOZg/s400/mum+bros+and+me.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With my mum and brothers David and Steven</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sadly, on the 17<sup>th</sup>
January, with her three sons and daughter-in-laws at her bedside, Trav’s mum, Dorothy
Horton, passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning. She was 84 years old and she had been suffering
with dementia and Alzheimer’s. She hadn't known or recognised her family during her last
months but, in the moments before she drew her last breath, I saw her open her eyes,
shed a tear, and look with absolute clarity upon her boys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sadly, as my father in law was still recovering from his hip
operation, he wasn’t able to be with his wife at the end. As you might imagine, this made for an extremely
difficult and emotional time, when we had to break the sad news to him later that day at the
hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The funeral couldn’t be held
for another 15 days due to the Christmas and New Year holidays and with January apparently being a busy time for the funeral services generally. This posed a problem for Trav and I as we had a return flight to Asia booked a couple of days before the funeral
date.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We spent a long time on the phone speaking to several departments within
British Airways until we finally got someone who could help us. BA were more
than helpful and, although there should have been hefty charges associated with
changing our flights, they wavered all of them and moved our flights forward by
one week to allow us to attend the funeral.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During the next two weeks,
we continued to stay as house guests at my lovely friend Dina’s house. As we hadn’t
seen Dina since she had come out to see us in Koh Tao the previous January. It was wonderful to see her again.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ980-Bg6_IvH2_KKsWfXh-0gzh7gh5TuV8l0wusAWpJVHrUiz54HF_X-_mw3T0JTbivWKhEIcA_ufpIcxvRSyCxE_amvIJpmokELE2jI4THjdXEhqlq6eKXKvfLsEviWa-8rM5Dlg6xY/s1600/walking+strret1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ980-Bg6_IvH2_KKsWfXh-0gzh7gh5TuV8l0wusAWpJVHrUiz54HF_X-_mw3T0JTbivWKhEIcA_ufpIcxvRSyCxE_amvIJpmokELE2jI4THjdXEhqlq6eKXKvfLsEviWa-8rM5Dlg6xY/s400/walking+strret1.jpg" width="225" /></i></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>My best friend Dina and I on Koh Tao Thailand last year</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trav and I were aware
that we needed new visas to get back into Thailand, so we
made a trip into Liverpool to the Royal Thai Consulate there. I hadn’t been to
Liverpool for decades and yet I had been brought up there. My family moved to Liverpool when I was 6 years old and moved out of Liverpool to Runcorn when I
was 14. I have to say that the Liverpool I knew back then is a far cry from the rather swish cosmopolitan
city that it is today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I immediately wished we’d
been able to spend more time staying in Liverpool at the Albert Dock than the
one night we had planned. Especially when a lovely friend who we met on the
island of Utila in the Caribbean last year – who plays with the Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra – got in touch on Facebook messenger and offered us ticket for the
following evening’s performance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We did however manage to
catch up with a couple of lovely friends who we’d met a couple of years ago
while we were in the Bahamas. Jen and Gregg live in Liverpool and are planning
to come out to Koh Tao in March to see us and do some diving – so it was great
to meet up with them in Liverpool while we were there. They showed us a great
night out in the city. We stopped outside Horton House for a photo and went on to
a fabulous Brazilian all you can eat restaurant called <a href="http://fazenda.co.uk/liverpool/" target="_blank">Fazenda</a> followed by a
cocktail bar called <a href="http://thealchemist.uk.com/" target="_blank">The Alchemist</a> where the cocktails all look like science experiments!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIKW3p60aAUY0xRQEGt9G1PXRqhhr6bA3BWbBlR7tI2cEKczRFcmy3XduEKAZ0eqTU4wj8ne1h9zlSKrPQl6VEpPEHDzRfRF2fzQznf82GBFxVqFAXmNeRG6UCMoXyBTFY9EloD-cx1w/s1600/Collage+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIKW3p60aAUY0xRQEGt9G1PXRqhhr6bA3BWbBlR7tI2cEKczRFcmy3XduEKAZ0eqTU4wj8ne1h9zlSKrPQl6VEpPEHDzRfRF2fzQznf82GBFxVqFAXmNeRG6UCMoXyBTFY9EloD-cx1w/s640/Collage+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We also managed to catch up with our closest friends Jeannette and Nigel and Sara and Douglas and Jane and Pete in Scotland. It was so wonderful to see them again and to catch up with each other over a wonderful dinner that Jeannette cooked for us all. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iYM5HgGG3CcHzCVIt_M-eLF6VaH-zQa5MGizmgyCJrsavu0wbHEJraa62CRpLBqHgiwQOUgJjJFVlaIhUYcA_n62GVLqEb4wUEPHNa9SeluW54fwlOcJO6pz4nZbLia0RJONurm4K28/s1600/Collage+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iYM5HgGG3CcHzCVIt_M-eLF6VaH-zQa5MGizmgyCJrsavu0wbHEJraa62CRpLBqHgiwQOUgJjJFVlaIhUYcA_n62GVLqEb4wUEPHNa9SeluW54fwlOcJO6pz4nZbLia0RJONurm4K28/s640/Collage+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While in Scotland, we also briefly go see our eldest son Ben again in Edinburgh and
to stay with my sister Lisa and her family who live in Ayrshire. While
staying at Lisa’s I was very keen to have a ride on my niece Shannon’s new pony. Her pony, called Star, was her Christmas gift. Lucky girl!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Then we returned to England
for Trav’s mum’s funeral. It was a sad and poignant day. Again we were able to
meet up with friends and family we hadn’t seen in a long time. Unfortunately,
Trav’s dad wasn’t able to attend, as he was still too frail and that made for an
even more difficult and emotional day for the family. After a service at the
crematorium everyone gathered at a nearby old Cheshire pub that is opposite All
Saint’s Church in Daresbury. The church is famously the burial place of Lewis
Carol and there is <a href="http://daresburycofe.org.uk/tourism/alice-window/" target="_blank">a beautiful stain-glass window</a> there dedicated to Alice in
Wonderland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Trav’s mum’s funeral. It was a sad and poignant day.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Rest in Peace Dot Horton</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The day after the funeral
Trav and I headed back to Asia with heavy hearts. We decided we needed some down time before heading back to the island of Koh Tao and our busy lives of teaching diving and writing
projects. We decided to take a short
diversion and fly over to the island of Penang in Malaysia. It is very easy and inexpensive to
fly to Penang with Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur and it's a place we had yet to visit. Not that we
planned to explore much – that would have to wait for another visit – we just wanted time
to rest and recuperate and to get over our hectic and stressful month and from the jetlag of travelling. We were very fortunate, due to Trav being a card member with Holiday Inn - that we
were given a fabulous top floor suite upgrade for the three nights of our stay and so were able to get our R and R in absolute luxury!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next time on the blog I’ll
be back on Koh Tao in Thailand. We have lots to do there – Trav is heading up a
team of Dive Master Trainees and I have a new book to bring out soon and another to
start writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So pop back soon for island
updates and writerly news and please do consider joining my 2017 mailing list. Every new subscriber will receive a free copy of my bestselling ebook 'How To Party Online' just for signing up to my occasional newsletters by using the form at the top right hand side of this page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Love, Janice xx</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-89010860976184453242017-01-03T03:45:00.000+00:002017-01-03T05:54:22.087+00:002016 – An epic year of world travel and amazing adventures!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2016
was a truly epic year</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Throughout 2016, we have been fortunate to travel to many fantastic places
in far-flung </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">corners of the world, where we have met lots of wonderful
people we can now call friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This time last year, I
posted a travel map showing a total of 37 countries that we had visited to date.
This year, our updated map shows a total of 46 countries – that’s nine uniquely
new destinations for us during 2016 and of course many repeated ones too in the
USA and the Caribbean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
saw this year in with a fabulous new year’s eve party on the island of Koh Tao in
Thailand</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">. We stayed on the island for the first six weeks of 2016
and then - just six weeks before the end of the year - we returned to Koh Tao again.
It felt like a wonderful fate to be coming full circle in 2016!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This
year, </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">we have not only travelled a lot, we have achieved a lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While my husband Trav and I were
staying on our island home of Utila in the Caribbean Sea (for a total of six
months this year – although we did a visa run to the USA and Mexico between each
of our three month stays) Trav added to his scuba diving qualifications and experience
by qualifying as a <b>PADI Staff Instructor.
</b>He also became a <b>boat captain</b> by
passing the International Commercial Small Powerboat and Rib Master ITYW course.
I am SO proud of all his hard work and all he has achieved this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During
our second trimester on Utila</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, Trav, as a newly qualified
Staff Instructor, was working as a volunteer dive instructor with Operation
Wallacea – an organisation that works with marine biologists and eco-students at
Degree/PHD level. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The emphasis was very much
on reef ecology and marine conservation and Trav’s part in this exciting venture
was to teach students how to dive and also to maintain a safe underwater
working environment for them in which they could undertake their marine
studies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While
Trav was busy doing all of the amazing stuff above</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> - I
began working on my next romantic adventure novel entitled ‘Island in the Sun’
and also to write world travel features for lifestyle magazines – and of course
to hang around in a hammock drinking cocktails!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Highlights
of 2016</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> include:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> My
best friend Dina coming over from England to Koh Tao Thailand to visit in
January.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Trav
and I visiting South Korea for the occasion of our baby grandson’s first
birthday party in February.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Our
eldest son Ben and youngest son Iain coming over to the Caribbean with their girlfriends
to be with us in April.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Our
USA visa run from the Caribbean in May/June, during which time we renewing our
wedding vows in Las Vegas while celebrating our 33<sup>rd</sup> wedding
anniversary where we took a trip out to the Grand Canyon before ‘honeymooning’
in Cozumel and Tulum in Mexico.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After
spending a combined total of six months on the Caribbean island of Utila, we flew to
Florida to spend a week there before flying on to visit family in Vancouver, Canada.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After
two weeks in Canada, we flew onto Asia via Japan to visit Malaysia and
Indonesia before coming full circle back to Thailand at the end of 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s
been a heady twelve months and so I thought I’d best review the highlights
now before we get too involved in 2017. I’ll take it one month at a time –
starting at the beginning. If you
click on the links after each month’s summary you can go to the full blog post
with more details and more photos of that trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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2016</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.
We saw in the new year on the beach in Thailand, dancing with the fire dancers,
setting our wish lantern up into the sky, and counting in 2016 with our Koh Tao
friends</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkJov2iW0_PRwGJyfgMgVlKs7Ch_qaC0Rr5UXJHnSqXMCang8mZ3s22quHSAZRV2mcux0hEyQOtti5wxzn4Ip_6M1yxc-6Tunu5-yP_O8urRvvrqyfQxGh7D77_7yUTTr_CFa7Kba9Dk/s1600/me+trav+ny+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkJov2iW0_PRwGJyfgMgVlKs7Ch_qaC0Rr5UXJHnSqXMCang8mZ3s22quHSAZRV2mcux0hEyQOtti5wxzn4Ip_6M1yxc-6Tunu5-yP_O8urRvvrqyfQxGh7D77_7yUTTr_CFa7Kba9Dk/s400/me+trav+ny+2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Seeing in 2016 on Sairee Beach Koh Tao Thailand</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Later in January, </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">my best friend Dina, whom I’ve known all my life,
came out to Thailand to visit me and to have a holiday/vacation in the sun.
During this time, Dina and I travelled from </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Koh Tao</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> to </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Koh Samui</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and onto to
</span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chiang Mai</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bangkok</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. On the return journey, we took an </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">iconic train journey
through Thailand</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and we had many fabulous adventures and lots of fun. Dina also
got to discover scuba diving for the first time on Koh Tao. While we were off on our BFF
adventures, Trav was busy doing an PADI Instructor Development Course to become
a qualified scuba diving instructor.</span></div>
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<b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about our fabulous BFF travels in Thailand </span></b><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/03/bff-reunion-trains-planes-and-tuk-tuks.html" target="_blank"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HERE</span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trav
and I travelled to South Korea to attend our grandson’s first birthday party,
which is a special occasion in any country, but in Korea it has special
significance, and so a big party was planned. We arrived looking forward to
meeting our extended Korean family although had underestimated how cold it
would be – in the minus’s C – and we only had summer clothes. Trav bought socks
to wear with his flip-flops and one of our first priorities was to buy warm
clothing for the week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about our celebrations in South Korea </span></b><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/03/to-south-korea-with-love.html" target="_blank"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HERE</span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trav
and I flew back to the Caribbean and it didn’t take us long to settle back into
island life on Utila, the smaller of the Bay Islands off Honduras. We have now
spent a total of over a year on this beautiful island and it felt good to be
back. During our first week, it was my birthday and we had a party with friends
on the dock and a meal out in an island restaurant. My birthday present this
year was a bicycle. I was thrilled - it’s a perfect way to get around this small
island - and I haven’t owned a bicycle since I was about twelve years old!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPN7PZ83Qqx3_2kRrAxZ-cp0bWgVgDcdsJBq840GB9aiXeLKpbymM4hRRIVZGRRWAX06VCafLhTQMywlK24hyrPUP-vULCHV2xMC59YrlN511n9vbTEbnbwhe-9aB8VlKbnZ4FZe9JA3k/s1600/DSCN2742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPN7PZ83Qqx3_2kRrAxZ-cp0bWgVgDcdsJBq840GB9aiXeLKpbymM4hRRIVZGRRWAX06VCafLhTQMywlK24hyrPUP-vULCHV2xMC59YrlN511n9vbTEbnbwhe-9aB8VlKbnZ4FZe9JA3k/s400/DSCN2742.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Settling back into Caribbean island life on Utila</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-oRKnwXJvINgthe3qkM2Y5P2kDI7UYmgPo6jYV1_2DBrtOWsmAsOO3glA-ByDcQ5BnT0gLXez-XVsez3P03UFLTbjcb9EUAgaRhPYE0gafroyQJgxq4JF1wAFzf_bOEWf0Zw2hhZDxM/s1600/my+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-oRKnwXJvINgthe3qkM2Y5P2kDI7UYmgPo6jYV1_2DBrtOWsmAsOO3glA-ByDcQ5BnT0gLXez-XVsez3P03UFLTbjcb9EUAgaRhPYE0gafroyQJgxq4JF1wAFzf_bOEWf0Zw2hhZDxM/s400/my+bike.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I haven’t owned a bicycle since I was about twelve years old!</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On Utila Trav
completed his Staff Instructor course</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> at Coral View Dive Centre and also took <b>and passed his
International Commercial Small Powerboat and Rib Master ITYW course</b> and so
became <b>Captain Trav!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The months whizzed by –
otherwise filled with sunshine and fun and diving and snorkelling and boat
trips and picnics and BBQ’s over on beautiful Water Cay – one of the small islands
off Utila and a favourite spot for spending time on the beach and catching up
with friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about our experiences on the Caribbean island of Utila </span></b><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/05/back-on-our-island-home-and-unpacking.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HERE</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> We
were so excited that two of our sons, Ben and Iain, were arriving from
Edinburgh UK with their girlfriends, Hayley and Brogan, to spend two weeks on
the island with us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">They were looking forward to
lots of sunshine and fun and diving. Ben and Iain are already qualified dive
instructors and the girls wanted to do their Discover Scuba Diving courses. One
of those days out on the boat with Ecomarine Dive Centre turned out to be very
special indeed because we spotted and swam with a whale shark and, not one, but
two pods of dolphins. It is such a joy to swim so close to these beautiful and
wild creatures. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DPToDF3608v6Zm7n_WzR33PjkK1ysMKbIwGuRpkqRGk_VnPPzgEIw7LqeDlc9WBStuk9S2LxIl_tY7ke5iwAJKVGdaBPiRWPvHHpfybc7_2r5GCVhbR0c8MvzfzRpHcEysGodxMaoEk/s1600/my+dophins+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DPToDF3608v6Zm7n_WzR33PjkK1ysMKbIwGuRpkqRGk_VnPPzgEIw7LqeDlc9WBStuk9S2LxIl_tY7ke5iwAJKVGdaBPiRWPvHHpfybc7_2r5GCVhbR0c8MvzfzRpHcEysGodxMaoEk/s400/my+dophins+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Our wild dolphins - photo credit Dave Thatcher </i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKB3RWkpXyt-OBRjupb-HUxs7uUHktr1nfOKYz49XFiAZV6r8y91mSy0gziepXN82P8sD9CRofbc2WdcR_Jr-ENyf8SPYlrd3I4qsthSCLvwYDTjMBl5tKxfu5CfGvhNBFwsst44MHYI/s1600/diving+boys+and+brogan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKB3RWkpXyt-OBRjupb-HUxs7uUHktr1nfOKYz49XFiAZV6r8y91mSy0gziepXN82P8sD9CRofbc2WdcR_Jr-ENyf8SPYlrd3I4qsthSCLvwYDTjMBl5tKxfu5CfGvhNBFwsst44MHYI/s400/diving+boys+and+brogan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Family fun diving</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During
their holiday, it was Iain’s 23rd birthday</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> and
we celebrated with a day at the beach and with lunch and cocktails and birthday
cake. Over the following weekend, we all rented a private island called Little
Cay – which is amazing in itself - but also something that is totally
affordable in this part of the eastern Caribbean!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMakQ3LxTBxMabbiluCWjPa_g-p5TKble9jxOMKNmz7pIO-7SSWYX6mNvsfufnQuuw1vqgVjH0TbMEghM7YD8YWzPkOpUsWQiSwiKJkvBT44VV65vVP_4smq4LWbzzh-R30WP96YQiDfs/s1600/iain+bday+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMakQ3LxTBxMabbiluCWjPa_g-p5TKble9jxOMKNmz7pIO-7SSWYX6mNvsfufnQuuw1vqgVjH0TbMEghM7YD8YWzPkOpUsWQiSwiKJkvBT44VV65vVP_4smq4LWbzzh-R30WP96YQiDfs/s320/iain+bday+pic.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Happy birthday to Iain! </i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKJUVNv5O0bGtE78AVf_4aTUf1DBIs2zJnmZe4WoTv3WpawNiFImZPnK2_TcGsIoAn_GbiRKsksbQVgBpp2yCAKQAAbPtCjDmL07DLvKC0_VQNUIWzd0jYCguh4LSraquDRXtgrpwdxI/s1600/Little_Cay-01+%2528800x595%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKJUVNv5O0bGtE78AVf_4aTUf1DBIs2zJnmZe4WoTv3WpawNiFImZPnK2_TcGsIoAn_GbiRKsksbQVgBpp2yCAKQAAbPtCjDmL07DLvKC0_VQNUIWzd0jYCguh4LSraquDRXtgrpwdxI/s400/Little_Cay-01+%2528800x595%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The tiny private island of Little Cay - our family weekend retreat</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about this amazing time together as part of the same post as
above – which is also </span></b><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/05/back-on-our-island-home-and-unpacking.html" target="_blank"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HERE</span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Trav and
I had to leave our Caribbean island home of Utila on a visa-run to the USA,
where we celebrated our 33rd
wedding anniversary by renewing our wedding vows in Las Vegas, took a
600 mile round trip on a bus to drive over the Hoover Dam and to travel along
‘the mother road’ of Route 66 before exploring the South Rim of the Grand
Canyon and grabbing a last minute flight to Mexico for a second honeymoon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OzsDaCWP4ws2HPAvDv993VET3aluuhtXD6PJkRcZbh7j3EQ8Aixp8d2XO573YOf5cuq3ke0jkR-ELuxtwRXj9T2xkrzzqBfvqx1plx433lJH0HcBGAelZnPD0aO09gx_LNqzSsnC26M/s1600/20160510_153955+%25281024x229%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OzsDaCWP4ws2HPAvDv993VET3aluuhtXD6PJkRcZbh7j3EQ8Aixp8d2XO573YOf5cuq3ke0jkR-ELuxtwRXj9T2xkrzzqBfvqx1plx433lJH0HcBGAelZnPD0aO09gx_LNqzSsnC26M/s640/20160510_153955+%25281024x229%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about this whirlwind of adventure and romance </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/05/a-whirlwind-of-adventure-and-romance.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June
– July - August: </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We returned from Mexico to our Caribbean
island home of <b>Utila </b>and stayed for another three months. During this time Trav
was very busy indeed volunteering as a dive staff instructor for the marine
conservation and educational organisation Operation Wallacia (OpWal) at
Coral View Dive Centre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While Trav was diving I had
another couple of tattoos. My new tattoos came about because a guest tattooist from
the USA came to Utila and after seeing his work I decided to finally
get my 'mermaid and diver' tattoo done on my thigh and, to cover the nasty scar
on my foot, a 'marine' montage with a shell, a starfish, a sand dollar and a
sea turtle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalS31bIIF7eLt0aF98zBR-Oi9gLdpg6QoP3ySFVrYSAxzrNUHrkeFvrIKvlyLd8Q3QyFK-8_24ScWJwtB5MELNZ7XbmHPnQqNbXM06e6QNalhIIhnHNw0ZfgNO5JRaITeqV3gDa7nbQ8/s1600/IMG_0477+%25281024x765%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalS31bIIF7eLt0aF98zBR-Oi9gLdpg6QoP3ySFVrYSAxzrNUHrkeFvrIKvlyLd8Q3QyFK-8_24ScWJwtB5MELNZ7XbmHPnQqNbXM06e6QNalhIIhnHNw0ZfgNO5JRaITeqV3gDa7nbQ8/s400/IMG_0477+%25281024x765%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>No pain no gain - getting tattooed</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The rest of the time I was
working hard on my next novel entitled ‘Island in the Sun’ which I hoped to
have completed by the end of the summer. While I was researching and
writing about a hurricane in the story, we actually had a hurricane warning for
our part of the eastern Caribbean Sea. Hurricane Earl had started out as a
tropical wave and, during my research watching the National Hurricane
Centre website, I watched it progress to a tropical storm and then become a
hurricane.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about Caribbean island life and hurricanes </span></b><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/05/a-whirlwind-of-adventure-and-romance.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HERE</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">September:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> We
left Utila when our visas expired in early September and we flew back to the USA.
As Trav and I were feeling pretty exhausted, after working and playing so hard
all summer, so we took a week’s vacation in Lauderdale by the Sea in Florida.
We booked into an inexpensive hotel right opposite the beach in this beautiful
laid back little town and we took it easy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D-BYvC710eZtWKB9jOUtv2uQw2imibtllKlusfs6xs1LtbSdhY4vO_GWwlwBYSqHezPg-dAGX640ZgRZJeGKSS3DxnQwqILThGu7HspCgqpKsvUF9kV-q3MCFUURKKh7pIeZ0__lBWw/s1600/FL+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D-BYvC710eZtWKB9jOUtv2uQw2imibtllKlusfs6xs1LtbSdhY4vO_GWwlwBYSqHezPg-dAGX640ZgRZJeGKSS3DxnQwqILThGu7HspCgqpKsvUF9kV-q3MCFUURKKh7pIeZ0__lBWw/s400/FL+beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>On the beach at Lauderdale by the Sea Florida</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We also ate really well too
- it was such a treat to go to a big US supermarket and to see the huge variety
of foods available - after our long stay on a small Caribbean island that only
got supplies by boat twice a week. We could hardly believe our eyes and we
enjoyed shopping for food and cooking for ourselves in the BBQ back at our
apartment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We did eat out a couple of
times too and we took walks on the beach and lazed around in the sun at the
pool and we slept - we did a <i>lot </i>of
sleeping to make up for the sleep loss on Utila - where we were woken every
morning by our natural alarm clock of ear-piercingly loud cockerels crowing
outside our bedroom window at around 4.30am!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about our summer of island life </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/09/island-life-reef-expeditions-and.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">September:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Revived
and refreshed, we set off on our next adventure by flying from Fort
Lauderdale to Vancouver Canada, where we were to stay with family for the next
two weeks. My Uncle Ed (my mum’s brother) and his wife Dawn have, over the
years, often invited us over to stay with them at their home in Hope, British
Columbia, so we thought we’d take them up on their kind offer at long last and
visit. We had THE most amazing time – hiking up mountains and exploring the
wilds and having fabulous experiences – all while looking out for bears. We
concluded our trip with a fabulous visit to Whistler Mountain and a ride of the
world’s highest and longest peak to peak gondola ride!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>In Hope BC Canada with my Uncle Ed and Aunt Dawn</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about our amazing trip to beautiful British Columbia </span></b><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/10/beautiful-british-columbia.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HERE</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At
the end of September</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">: Trav and I flew from Vancouver Canada (via Montreal,
Houston, and Tokyo) to Kuala Lumpur (KL) in Malaysia. A total flight time of
twenty-five hours and a leap in time of eight hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thankfully, we managed to
get a few hours of sleep before we had to dash back to the airport to meet up
with our son James and his lovely wife Sujeong, who were flying in from South
Korea to meet up with us in KL for the weekend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
hadn’t seen James and Sujeong since February</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> of this year, when
we were in South Korea for our grandson Aaron’s first birthday celebrations.
Aaron wasn’t with them this time though, as this was a strictly grown-up
affair, to help James and Sujeong celebrate their second wedding anniversary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeLkrS-9BEkcls7RLmK8ZRZmaWT-nURNsZTZUpxMBGC3qya1hMkwe21e-MtT8w3ThzuP4s1kw5hH5jRXNxb59Ap8Ual4OKe48qWW-zi8XD1ExrWCwwUmTsWp-CwDgTniiO2GhycEpMTs/s1600/get+together+in+KL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeLkrS-9BEkcls7RLmK8ZRZmaWT-nURNsZTZUpxMBGC3qya1hMkwe21e-MtT8w3ThzuP4s1kw5hH5jRXNxb59Ap8Ual4OKe48qWW-zi8XD1ExrWCwwUmTsWp-CwDgTniiO2GhycEpMTs/s640/get+together+in+KL.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With James and Sujeong in Kuala Lumpur</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
had a wonderful weekend</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, sightseeing at the stunning Petronas
Towers and its famous sky bridge, shopping in KL’s sophisticated malls, and
celebrating their anniversary by eating out in restaurants, drinking in our
hotel club room, enjoying each other’s company and catching up on our busy
lives. It was such a special weekend.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about our very special weekend in Kuala Lumpur </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/12/a-fabulous-weekend-in-kl-with-james-and.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://./">.</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">October:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
From KL we flew to Bail. We stayed just a few nights in Bali and we explored
the island interior town of Ubud – famous for its monkey forest and reputedly
the cultural and culinary centre of Bali. We enjoyed Ubud but not so much the busy
coastal touristy town of Kuta. We didn’t explore further – although I’m sure
there is more to see in Bali – but we were keen to move off island to the more
remote Indonesian islands off the neighbouring island of Lombok – the Gili
Islands. Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Gili islands are a vision of paradise</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>in Indonesia</b> that have white sand beaches and palm trees and no
motorised transport. Gili T is the larger and most developed of the three and
it has gained a reputation from backpackers as a party island. Trav and I like
to beach party on occasion, but on this trip we were looking for quiet,
relaxation, diving, snorkelling, great seafood, and a beach bar with a laid
back ambience, so we stayed on the boat when it made its stop here and we went
onto Gili Air. We stayed here in a lovely homestead cottage for a week for the
princely sum of £100 (equivalent) before moving on to the even smaller and, dare
I say it, even more beautiful island of
Gili Meno. Here we splashed out a bit and stayed in a boutique hotel amongst a
coconut plantation. It was idyllic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I do urge you to see my full
post on this trip - as the photos are stunning. Not that I’m an expert
photographer – it’s just the islands are so visually spectacular.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read more about Bali and beyond </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/12/bali-and-beyond.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From
Indonesia we flew back to KL and onto Langkawi Malaysia.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We were looking for
somewhere to settle down for a period of six weeks before we went onto Thailand
to finish the year where it started - on the island of Koh Tao. As October was
rainy (monsoon) season on Koh Tao, we went house hunting in Malaysia, where it
was the beginning of the high (dry) season. We stayed a week on the island of
Langkawi and then a week back in the city of Kuala Lumpur. We viewed lots of
apartments in both places but we were unsuccessfully (mostly due to it being
high season). BUT then, unexpectedly, we were offered not one but two fantastic
opportunities back in Thailand and we took one of them – which would help Trav
to work towards his Master Instructor scuba qualification – <i>his goal for 2017</i>. So everything worked
out far better than we ever could have planned!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can read all about our house hunting failures in Malaysia and our impromptu
return to Thailand </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/12/house-hunting-failure-in-malaysia-and.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">November:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This
is Trav’s birthday month and it happily coincided with a visa run (as we only
had a 30 day entry visa for Thailand) so after 30 days on the island of Koh Tao
we hopped on a boat, a bus, a plane, a train and an uber taxi, and headed back
to KL to celebrate Trav’s birthday and also to secure a 60 day tourist visa
from the Thai Consulate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Thai visa takes up a
whole page of a passport and then there are the additional in/out stamps too.
It was pointed out to us in the KL Thai Consulate that we had now run out of
blank pages in our passports.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pE2G5OmrmJjxNzkmvWeZTPgvKuB-bULtganir5cuJ1i5tob_rtn0IegfiUDddudOMKW-fRt9IqbNO5c1nkc7KtKuPg1GO2hzM5XTdhME7ajVDsycr3SsxsUAOi-1HV6F6h8CkKmjtcQ/s1600/passports+stamps+new+%25281024x668%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pE2G5OmrmJjxNzkmvWeZTPgvKuB-bULtganir5cuJ1i5tob_rtn0IegfiUDddudOMKW-fRt9IqbNO5c1nkc7KtKuPg1GO2hzM5XTdhME7ajVDsycr3SsxsUAOi-1HV6F6h8CkKmjtcQ/s400/passports+stamps+new+%25281024x668%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This was not so much a
problem but an immediate crisis. Our passports still had 18 months before they
expired but if we had no more blank pages then no pages – no visas – no stay –
no travel – and the clock was ticking and the days counting down to our next
visa run. Did we have to dash back to the UK to replace our passports?
Thankfully, we found a way to renew our passports via Her Majesties Passport
Office in Bangkok. It took just three weeks to get our brand new passports. Stress
but then Success!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You
can find out more about how we overcame our visa and passport problems </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/12/passports-visa-issues-and-other-problems.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">December: </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even though the monsoon
rains where heavy over Koh Tao, we had a pretty amazing December. We had in
hand our new passports and visas that allowed us to stay in Thailand until the
first week in January. So we forgot about travel for a while and Trav spent his
time diving (he gets wet anyway so a little monsoon rain doesn’t bother him!)
and I knuckled down indoors to finish my next book ‘Island in the Sun’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have now finished the first
draft and it has now been sent to my lovely editor for a story edit. This part of the editing process is when a fresh
set of eyes (my editors sharp ones) reads the manuscript for readability, story
structure, plot and character development. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>The week before Christmas</b>
however, Trav caught a head cold and due to congestion he couldn’t clear his
ears. This is bad news for a diver as being underwater puts lots of pressure on
the ear drum. Diving with a head cold is therefore not recommended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As it was raining heavily on
Koh Tao island – and had been for almost three weeks – we checked the weather forecast
to find that on the mainland just a few hundred miles north of us in the Thai
resort of Hua Hin – the sun was shining. So we took a boat to Chumphon the
mainland (1 hour) and then a bus (5 hours) to Hua Hin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The trip was inexpensive and
the bus was actually a well-appointed and comfortable coach. At Hua Hin, we
stayed at the Intercontinental Resort, where we got three nights for the price
of two (a member of the Holiday Inn Group, we collect their points). This mini-break
was to be a wonderful pre-Christmas gift to each other. The hotel was right on
the beach and the resort was very beautiful – plus it was indeed hot and sunny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After
being in Hua Hin,</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Trav’s head cold was much better and so we
returned to Koh Tao to carry on as before – Trav doing his diving and me
finishing my novel. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel too good at this point and so
I spent the next week, up until Christmas Eve, not able to eat or drink very
much. I didn’t have a cold but I had something – maybe a stomach bug.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Despite feeling ill, I got back my story edits from my lovely editor and finished working on the second lot of edits of ‘Island in the Sun’ on New Year’s Eve. It felt
great to be finished, especially on the last day of the year. The next stage in
the editing process is the copy edit – my editor will check the novel for grammar,
spelling, typos over used words etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trav
and I celebrated Christmas and New Year</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> on Koh Tao with our lovely
friends. The weather improved and we had a fun Christmas Eve night out with
Bans Dive Centre at Fishbowl Bar and, on Christmas Day, it was very hot and
sunny so we walked along the beach. It was kind of amusing to see everyone walking
along or sunbathing in Santa hats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
have been travelling for three years now</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> - and we haven’t
experienced a cold winter in a long time - but it still feels strange to me to experience
Christmas in 35+ degrees C of heat!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We had a wonderful night out
on Christmas Day night with our friends from Sunshine Dive Centre. We had a ‘proper’
Christmas roast dinner at Barracuda Restaurant and we all did a fun Secret
Santa. Trav received a dive equipment thingy and I got a spa voucher. Very
suitable and wonderful gifts indeed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJhDpo1G7vLnTiNWOx_3hkeqPN5vT8jtep6Ik0TLFTdzMFf0nlKiRMKP2MePto18zshF2HsjJfuU_6CnLQjaSbSbn737TcG5FGTpYrbklxzaS_dVey7vSl1m4KFDA8dJ_ZkwgVF8ZVcs/s1600/xmas+dinner+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJhDpo1G7vLnTiNWOx_3hkeqPN5vT8jtep6Ik0TLFTdzMFf0nlKiRMKP2MePto18zshF2HsjJfuU_6CnLQjaSbSbn737TcG5FGTpYrbklxzaS_dVey7vSl1m4KFDA8dJ_ZkwgVF8ZVcs/s400/xmas+dinner+2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was truly wonderful over
Christmas to chat and to have facetime with our family and friends using social media / Skype /Viber etc. It was great
to see how everyone was celebrating the holidays and to reflect on what an
amazing year of travel and adventure 2016 truly was for us. I’m amazed by it
all and also very thankful.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So
now we are into January 2017</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and I’m excited for what
the New Year will bring. We don't have any immediate plans to leave Thailand - except for another visa run - so that will no doubt be the subject of my next post. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Happy
New Year to you all!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Do pop back next time and feel free to leave a
comment. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ll be sure to reply.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If
you enjoyed reading about our travels in 2016 and are curious about the places
we visited in 2015 - you can read the highlights of those travels </span></b><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/01/2015-epic-year-of-travel-and-adventure.html"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HERE</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Love, Janice xx</i></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If
this is your first visit to janicehorton.co.uk then I’d like to wish you a warm
welcome. Please visit my ‘About Janice’ page <b><a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/01/2015-epic-year-of-travel-and-adventure.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-29436623923372375442016-12-15T06:58:00.001+00:002016-12-15T07:24:08.091+00:00Passports, visa issues, and other first world problems… <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc1pTRfRkhpRDBKRJE3VQXJL-PwZnykto5BKnnz3KLgvtjizzLKrOBDS49AzV5Nf6rTRk2H8-YrYyaVufP_CC5nw2l0PtIfXsedet6MewCXys9hd24a7g89mcX4z0J0ufFazp-E8Oz1c/s1600/passports+stamps+new+%25281024x668%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc1pTRfRkhpRDBKRJE3VQXJL-PwZnykto5BKnnz3KLgvtjizzLKrOBDS49AzV5Nf6rTRk2H8-YrYyaVufP_CC5nw2l0PtIfXsedet6MewCXys9hd24a7g89mcX4z0J0ufFazp-E8Oz1c/s400/passports+stamps+new+%25281024x668%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m pretty sure you must often think from reading my
blog updates or seeing my Facebook travel posts that our life of nomadic world travel
is all fun and adventure and frolicking on the beach – and it mostly is –
except for when there are problems.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Problems can range from: delayed
flights, missing flights, broken aeroplanes, feeling ill and wondering if you
need a doctor, having toothache but no dentist, feeling sea-sick with no sight
of land, getting hurt and wondering if you’ll ever get better, fleeing from a
typhoon, being in the path of a hurricane, etc etc…. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Those are just a few off the top of my
head.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But some problems are <i>really</i> tricky to overcome – they are usually first world issues to do with having no fixed abode - and we have been dealing
with some of these recently.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Like what to do when you have been
travelling for a while and you want to continue travelling but you know that at
the end of the month your bank debit card will expire and, in the tiny remote
place you are in, your debit card is the only card that works at the only ATM?</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Add to that, </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">knowing that every month after, each one of the credit
cards in your wallet is going to expire in turn (like a row of dominos falling down). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Having no debit card means no access to our bank funds and no credit cards means no flights can be booked online leaving us pretty much penniless and stranded.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do we have to go back to the UK just
to visit our bank?</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Then there is the visa issue.</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> We are so lucky to have UK passports – one of
the most powerful passports in the world (erm, well, right now at least) which
allows you a visa and entry – often on arrival - to many wonderful countries.
Recently we were in Malaysia were we were given a 90 day visa on arrival and
Indonesia were it is a 30 day on arrival visa.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We are now in Thailand</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, where with a UK passport you get a 30 day visa on
arrival. But what if we want to stay longer – and we do? </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is a problem that can be both
costly and exhausting. For example, to get a 60 day visa you need to apply <i>outside</i> of
Thailand at a Thai Embassy or Consulate for that visa <i>every time</i>.
This is what is known as a visa run.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I mentioned passports </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">– and that brings me to the main topic of this
post. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many countries insist that you have at least six months valid on your
passport. We knew our passports were good for another eighteen months. Or so we
thought - until we went on a visa run to the Thai Consulate in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia recently. The Thai visa takes up a whole page of a passport and then
there are the additional in/out stamps too. It was pointed out to us that we
had now run out of blank pages in our passports.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This was not so much a problem but an
immediate crisis.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">No pages – no visas – no stay – no
travel – and the clock was ticking and the days counting down. Did we have to
dash back to the UK to replace our passports?</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thankfully we found a way around having
to take the hit of buying expensive holiday time air fares (our current visas
expire a few days after New Year) and, after contacting Her Majesties Passport
Office in Bangkok, we were told we could replace them as overseas citizens
through their office. Hurray!</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It took exactly three weeks</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> from us sending off our current passports and
all our paperwork to Bangkok, them checking it all and sending it onto London,
for us to receive our brand new passports.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0_bZtffNqFnZGJC4xc-pH6HB5jcBw-eGCO_JbPbh0jGtMViEUoBHpDt6A1-bR7XkeOC2pauWRmqx5Td6TGnOmwP_x13jfXEV0qmQlkbzLAz63nVJopRvXXMt4Q-oKFErrKyC9X8Hb7E/s1600/Passports+old+new+%2528873x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0_bZtffNqFnZGJC4xc-pH6HB5jcBw-eGCO_JbPbh0jGtMViEUoBHpDt6A1-bR7XkeOC2pauWRmqx5Td6TGnOmwP_x13jfXEV0qmQlkbzLAz63nVJopRvXXMt4Q-oKFErrKyC9X8Hb7E/s400/Passports+old+new+%2528873x1024%2529.jpg" width="340" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Out with the old and in with the new!</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">During that time</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I tracked our returning passports with DHL
passing through their depots in London, Liverpool, Birmingham, New York, Hong
Kong and back to the passport office in Bangkok for collection.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9ndAgIcvJRMp3mV4hmkyLi2M27_jkTpgmRqp7riYnpWhdUbi8wuiH8iBuxhDKVClbsqRK-cQrq3PEpxSJ11RLUbeynqZxjDhQVR44b-9rPsk5ohsJbCm0FxIN-8bZBtoHCzuhyphenhyphent6AVM/s1600/passports+stamps+new+%25281024x668%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9ndAgIcvJRMp3mV4hmkyLi2M27_jkTpgmRqp7riYnpWhdUbi8wuiH8iBuxhDKVClbsqRK-cQrq3PEpxSJ11RLUbeynqZxjDhQVR44b-9rPsk5ohsJbCm0FxIN-8bZBtoHCzuhyphenhyphent6AVM/s400/passports+stamps+new+%25281024x668%2529.jpg" width="400" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Our new passports have travelled far and wide without us!</i></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We were saved the cost and
inconvenience of having to go all the way to Bangkok by enlisting the help of a
friend (thanks Mark) who lives in Bangkok and who did the drop off and pick up
for us and posted our passports back to us on our tiny island in the Gulf of
Thailand.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have to point out that the Thai
postal service is excellent and so we had no problems doing this. However,
there are many places in the world that doing sensitive stuff like this by post
would be inadvisable if not absolutely impossible. What do you do then? I have
no idea.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And the credit and debit card problem?</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> It wasn’t easy but again we had help. We had
a family member to post out our new cards, once they’d been issued by the bank,
to a friend in another country whom we planned to meet up with at some point.
And, on another occasion, we had to time things perfectly so that we were in a
country/place/address where we could rely on a courier getting to us. Making
this all like a game of worldwide tag.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But now we are viable once again.</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> We have our new bank cards, we have our new
passports and we are once again prepared to take a boat and a bus and a plane and a
train and then probably an Uber taxi - to get to the next place outside Thailand which has a Thai Consulate or a Thai Embassy - where we
can get our next visa back into Thailand again. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Which we don’t consider to be a
problem at all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Until next time,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Love, Janice xx</span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-88182735333350349982016-12-09T08:30:00.000+00:002016-12-09T08:30:27.111+00:00House hunting failure in Malaysia and other adventures...<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>After our amazing trip to Bali and the Gili Islands in Indonesia, which you can read about <a href="http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/2016/12/bali-and-beyond.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>, we headed back to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>We stayed two nights at the Intercontinental Hotel in KL city centre, t</b></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>hen two days later, we flew with Air Asia over to the Malaysian island of Langkawi.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This was our second visit to this duty-free island. We stayed here for a week exactly one year ago during our Grand Asian Tour of 2015. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We decided to come back here because we had been enthusing about Langkawi to our friends Mark and Rebecca, who live on the island of Koh Tao, in Thailand, and whom we met up with on Gili Air.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mark and Rebecca were looking for a place to relax and unwind for a week after their hectic final F1 destination and we were looking at Langkawi as a possible place to settle down for a couple of months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I felt the need to stop travelling for a while and to find somewhere conducive to finishing the manuscript of my next romantic adventure novel. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After which, in late December, we planned to head to Koh Tao Thailand for the start of high season – which had always been our plan for the end of 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>So the four of us arranged to meet up again in Langkawi.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We thought Langkawi might be a good choice for us as a place to settle for a while as it was just the start of the high season there (and still rainy season in Koh Tao) and we had three month visa, which is standard for UK Passport holders arriving in Malaysia. We also expected it to be relatively inexpensive to live there too. So we booked ourselves into a budget hotel for a week to give us enough time to find a small house or apartment to rent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>But</b> even though we took lots of time to look for suitable accommodation in various places on the island, while Mark and Rebecca chilled out in their plush hotel, we discovered a complete lack of affordable availability and we were told over and over again that rental accommodations had been booked out for months in advance. So total house-hunting failure!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>The Langkawi trip wasn’t a complete failure however,</b> as we got to enjoy Mark and Rebecca’s company again. We had wall to wall sunshine for a week. And we got to eat the most amazing seafood – tiger shrimp and lobster - at the most incredibly affordable prices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And we also got to throw away our worn-out clothing and buy new ones from the market on Langkawi, where they have the softest, lightest, coolest, cotton clothing we’ve ever found. I think I replaced my entire wardrobe (and by that I mean suitcase) for the equivalent of £60. We also stocked up on wine (£3 a bottle for good stuff) and bourbon (at £8 per litre).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>So what and where next?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, to help us out of our house hunting dilemma, Rebecca and Mark generously offered us their place to housesit on Koh Tao, as they were planning to go back to the UK until just before Christmas. But as </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">it was only the start of the rainy (monsoon) season on Koh Tao and we knew the island would be quiet, with most boats to the island on stand-by and many places closed, we weren’t sure it was the right place for us at this time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>So we headed back to Kuala Lumpur </b>(we had a return ticket) and we went house hunting there instead. For five nights we stayed for free at a very nice Holiday Inn Golf and Country Resort just outside the city, using our hotel loyalty points. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The lovely view from our room at the Holiday Inn Golf and Country Resort KL</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The weather in KL was hot and sunny and the (a free stay on loyalty points) hotel was lovely</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY90QC-g_canuBJ5Aoo-xbnLFdf9DNwZNqiiZRT0x8MiVAi8ClRz68uBtDjHw0fMtnsLu8HooGnR4nGzoxDQLuyqaVe9bu5e5D6cz58fu_CPXXK-CMdWeyL5Qq5KgwAuWPstEX0DeH7hg/s1600/malaysian+specsaverx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY90QC-g_canuBJ5Aoo-xbnLFdf9DNwZNqiiZRT0x8MiVAi8ClRz68uBtDjHw0fMtnsLu8HooGnR4nGzoxDQLuyqaVe9bu5e5D6cz58fu_CPXXK-CMdWeyL5Qq5KgwAuWPstEX0DeH7hg/s400/malaysian+specsaverx.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">While in KL I went to the Malaysian version of Specsavers for some new reading glaases</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We used public transport and uber taxis to get around and we searched for and viewed several apartments. Some of them were quite luxurious serviced apartments with outside balconies and swimming pool and gym facitities</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> - yet affordable. However, they were all for long term rental only and not just a couple of months.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">During this time, although we both love KL, I still wasn’t quite convinced that I actually wanted to live in a busy city and I worried what Trav would do with himself if he couldn’t go diving while I was busy writing? I mean, you can only go to the cinema so many times before it starts getting a bit repetitive, can’t you? </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">KL Monorail - just one of the inexpensive and efficient ways to travel around KL</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">We viewed a rental apartment here in KLCC</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Many apartments in KLCC are serviced apartments with a pool and gym</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Coming to the conclusion that we were island people rather than city folk</b>, and as we had been planning to go back to Koh Tao in another six weeks anyway, we decided to speak to Mark and Rebecca and take them up on their kind offer of house-sitting their place while they were away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Except, that very soon after making our new plans,</b> Trav was immediately offered a fantastic diving opportunity on the island of Koh Tao that would help him towards gaining his PADI Master Instructor certification (his goal for 2017) and which also <i>included</i> our accommodation during our stay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>So, it seems that whether it was still the rainy season or not, we were destined to be heading back to Koh Tao and suddenly I couldn’t wait!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>We had a wonderful welcome back to the island</b> and I was so delighted to find that our new home on Koh Tao was a modern studio villa with a lovely big covered porch that would be great for sitting outside whatever the weather. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Our accommodation</b> is on a huge diving resort here on Koh Tao - so we'll have access to all the resorts facilities including the shops, bars, restaurants and swimming pools - they have three pools and are in the process of building a fourth. The beach is just a ten minute walk away. Things really have turned out really well for us - we simply couldn't have planned it better.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our beautiful villa on Koh Tao</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">When we settle anywhere for more than a week then the Trav and Janice's Hoose sign goes up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This fabulous swimming pool is just a few minutes walk from our new home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A lovely welcome back to the island from our lovely island friends</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLanWGa3bB0-LZaozXzW3brJ416bzBZ_Bu9o_jfxuYST_RDz5xnBN3j2Q3Lw5ABxWgVkzIQYdGH5gWhSun8YmDp3FKWkdz3jFBJ6QGVfxmJm1SZ6aQL8rB-h8WtgzIW_ieKshNp5lOR0/s1600/trav+nov+whaleshark+KT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLanWGa3bB0-LZaozXzW3brJ416bzBZ_Bu9o_jfxuYST_RDz5xnBN3j2Q3Lw5ABxWgVkzIQYdGH5gWhSun8YmDp3FKWkdz3jFBJ6QGVfxmJm1SZ6aQL8rB-h8WtgzIW_ieKshNp5lOR0/s400/trav+nov+whaleshark+KT.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">First week back on Koh Tao and Trav was diving with whale sharks again</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It all sounds so </span>blissful<span style="font-size: 12pt;">, right? </span></b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It is EXCEPT for one wee glitch - and that was that at this time we only had 30 day arrival visa for Thailand</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">SO, we knew that after just three weeks or thereabouts, we would have to leave Thailand again on a visa run. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We decided to 'run' back to KL </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">as it was the most affordable option to get a 60 day visa. You may wonder why we didn't get one to start with but at that time the Thai Consulate was closed for a few days and getting a 60 day visa is a two day process - meaning we would have had to stay in KL for almost another week. So before our 30 day visa expired, we took a three hour boat from Koh Tao to Surat Thani on the mainland. Then a bus for a hour or so to the airport. Then an Air Asia flight back to KL.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>While we were in KL this time around we would also be celebrating Trav's birthday. </b>His treats included birthday cake, chocolates and champagne and wine and cheese (ooops, okay, the last three items were for me - and you'll know how much I miss cheese when we are travelling and living on tiny cheese-free islands!) and of course there was lots of bourbon drinking for Trav - plus a trip to the cinema - to watch the new Magnificent Seven Movie.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sNfBDnFSXroa8XpfxZ1VZbnTt6LdqM7iXYP9lNaILO4g-E0GQLt-kWaRCQ6Oi2Nzh2jqvrVqULG5VdZQ2uuMSdABYs1B0ifFo7cWamUe8TDP01QSNZ6xuxZKQ8ANOYsT_KTXQ3UB0f8/s1600/trav+bday+cake+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sNfBDnFSXroa8XpfxZ1VZbnTt6LdqM7iXYP9lNaILO4g-E0GQLt-kWaRCQ6Oi2Nzh2jqvrVqULG5VdZQ2uuMSdABYs1B0ifFo7cWamUe8TDP01QSNZ6xuxZKQ8ANOYsT_KTXQ3UB0f8/s400/trav+bday+cake+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trav's Birthday Cake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wine, champagne and cheese!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The trip to the Thai </span>Consulate in KL</b><b style="font-size: 12pt;"> </b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">to secure our new 60 day visas got a bit stressful because it is a two day </span>exercise<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and the first day we arrived very early and before </span>opening<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> time to find there was already a huge queue around the building block. We waited in line and then we waited some more once inside and, after almost three hours, when we eventually get to see an immigration officer, he asked for additional documents to be produced, above and beyond what was stipulated - but of course it is at their </span>discretion<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> to do so - which had us running back to our hotel to get online and to print stuff out and to race back to the consulate again in an exhausted and overheated stress </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">before they closed for the day. We made it with only ten mins to spare!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The following day, we did manage to collect our 60 day visas for entry back into Thailand. BUT it was pointed out to us that we don't have any space left in our </span>passports<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> for any more entry/exit stamps or visas.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Our passports are still valid but we have travelled so much we have now run out of empty pages</b> - and this is something we need to </span>address<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> before our current visas expire OR our fabulous travel adventures will come to a grinding halt and we will have to leave our beautiful new home on Koh Tao and Trav's diving ambitions will all be on hold!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Don't panic though</b> - we are dealing with the situation right now - and we have found that we are able to apply for new passports (the ones with extra pages!) as overseas UK </span>Citizens through Her Majesty's Passport office in Bangkok and we should in fact have our new passports in our hands in the next week or so. *Fingers crossed*.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>So now we are back on Koh Tao and we are finally able to settle down to the slower pace of island life after the excitement of all our recent travels and adventures and our visa/passport stresses. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have been able to focus on getting some writing done and to finish my novel <i>Island in the Sun,</i> which is now with my editor,<i> </i>and also meet my looming deadlines for travel magazine features. Meanwhile, Trav has been busy and happy in equal measures doing lots of new and amazing stuff to develop his diving career while we are here on Koh Tao.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Next time here on the blog</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> – I'll be taking a look back at the highlights of 2016 month by month to recap on all the countries we have visited, the adventures we have had, and the lovely people we have met over what has been a truly amazing and fantastic year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>In early January,</b> just after New Year, Trav and I hope to have our new passports with which to do yet another visa run. We plan to go to the Malaysian island of Penang next time around as we haven't been there before - so that will be another new adventure to tell you about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Until next time, </i></span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Christmas to you all and all best wishes for 2017.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Love, Janice xx</i></span><br />
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-87972111413503546482016-12-09T07:25:00.000+00:002016-12-09T07:25:52.598+00:00Bali and beyond...<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>We
arrived on the Indonesian island of Bali on a flight from Kuala Lumpur on
the 20th September 2016.</b> Knowing it would be both late and dark when we
got there, I’d booked a hotel conveniently near to the airport in Denpasar, so
that we would be well rested and ready to explore Bali first thing in the
morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>My
first impressions of Bali was that it was hot and humid and very busy.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
first thing that impressed me was a huge modern sculpture that stands at the
first intersection just outside the airport. I didn’t get a photo but the
Satria Gatot Kaca statue is truly breath-taking, with larger than life
gods and horses and chariots embroiled in a Balinese mythological battle scene.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>For our
first day on the island</b>, we planned to venture inland to a town called Ubud.
The owner of the homestead where I had booked our second night’s accommodation
got in touch with us to offer his services as a taxi and apparently this is a
common and much less-expensive way to travel in Bali. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Ubud is
considered to be the cultural heart of Bali </b>- and if there is one thing I
love just as much as tropical beaches then it’s interesting culture.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwN22dppa9qjlNK7jYFFQPB-KGhprflgsMfB0kcrkBsFZdQzJZHyAJ4SaSF4S60o-IcFTRko3G6TKe8fwpJuUSloQBjQV6Mo_bREbrsOm_A2711l53Q_WP3sS1gIrrcGjwX-RS0vrBGhQ/s1600/stone+carv+%2528475x800%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwN22dppa9qjlNK7jYFFQPB-KGhprflgsMfB0kcrkBsFZdQzJZHyAJ4SaSF4S60o-IcFTRko3G6TKe8fwpJuUSloQBjQV6Mo_bREbrsOm_A2711l53Q_WP3sS1gIrrcGjwX-RS0vrBGhQ/s400/stone+carv+%2528475x800%2529.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
drove for an hour past green and picturesque rice paddy fields and through the
stone carving village of Batubulan. Stone carving is important in Bali it
really is amazing to see a whole village full of stone carving studios and
carvings of every subject you might imagine – from small and devilish deities
to life size rearing horses – all lining the streets. Bali, it seemed to me, is
full of artist and art!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I knew
that the town of Ubud is famous for its markets, restaurants, temples and its
monkey forest, and as we only planned to spend one night here, we knew we would
have a full day ahead of us if we wanted to make the most of every minute and
opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO50FYABRVZNSyA2qx11GReqJfsSDnBwU4WIAwRK3tfxctB3NlBBjCFtZv8yL1xIW1R7yog9zcNyePV_GvODoEJBYMIv2ZHxDMU3Hvd7iHwA5c5J3c_-bIHNLeOHGICOKcITAWMYgYYE8/s1600/bali+temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO50FYABRVZNSyA2qx11GReqJfsSDnBwU4WIAwRK3tfxctB3NlBBjCFtZv8yL1xIW1R7yog9zcNyePV_GvODoEJBYMIv2ZHxDMU3Hvd7iHwA5c5J3c_-bIHNLeOHGICOKcITAWMYgYYE8/s400/bali+temple.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stone carvings and beautiful architecture is everywhere on Bali</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br />The
market was colourful and noisy and crazy busy</b>. I loved it and took my time
to browse the fabulous trinkets and fabrics and spices and shoes. I bought
myself a beautiful pair of sandals after haggling the seller down to a
reasonable (for both of us) price. Trav absolutely hated the market and trailed
in my wake with his face set with misery. He hates crowds and people pushing
and waving stuff in his face. After a while, I started to hate it too –
especially when being spoken to by the locals (who for no fault of their own
expect you to be Australian) with constant cries of ‘good’ay mate.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After
the market we roamed the street looking for one particular restaurant. It
took us many wrong turns down narrow streets to find it – and when we did
eventually stumble across it – both Trav and I were convinced we’d found it
purely by accident. The restaurant is called Ibu Oka and it
specialises in the Balinese culinary experience known as ‘Babi Guiling’ which
is roasted suckling pig. You can get this traditional dish in lots of places on
Bali but this particular restaurant is world-famous and is a place of
pilgrimage for lovers of roasted pork. I have to say that it was delicious and
worth the effort to find the original ‘Babi Guiling’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjnWiFB5cVQy0LN21YgZsBWMwN0fs6psdgdHz0qpxhvodETJ5oBifspBktL5z8w4Is2NKkGueTXPpO1q-Z2g7mLAzlx-aAY9KMgdds7dkMCoMeKQ7A_kc7ZATAjJQ8HMbgGXEYueAtFA/s1600/pig+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjnWiFB5cVQy0LN21YgZsBWMwN0fs6psdgdHz0qpxhvodETJ5oBifspBktL5z8w4Is2NKkGueTXPpO1q-Z2g7mLAzlx-aAY9KMgdds7dkMCoMeKQ7A_kc7ZATAjJQ8HMbgGXEYueAtFA/s400/pig+face.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stone piggy welcome</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZmCf-igosVOd4rQ5UwbFhe69oEc7CU_GNo4TsujAZHzHnfk03mK4uGtoGnDqt0D_-IVTUI6M3BcTKuFh4oo2WzTZAxtQikltMdVQoTuANL2QlvWRWcurS2bdX3BGwgIr1zz4V6K52Ec/s1600/pig+rest+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZmCf-igosVOd4rQ5UwbFhe69oEc7CU_GNo4TsujAZHzHnfk03mK4uGtoGnDqt0D_-IVTUI6M3BcTKuFh4oo2WzTZAxtQikltMdVQoTuANL2QlvWRWcurS2bdX3BGwgIr1zz4V6K52Ec/s640/pig+rest+sign.jpg" width="441" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The world famous Ibu Oka Restaurant in Ubud - for the original Babi Guiling roasted sucking pig.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br />Next, it
was a sightseeing trip </b>down the main streets and then a visit to the monkey
forest. The monkeys, who you can see plenty of on the street too, are very cute
especially with their babies – but they will steal from you and they
apparently have a penchant for handbags and cameras.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I saw a
monkey grab a bottle of water from a woman stood right next to me. It then
sat down in the middle of the road, unconcerned by the traffic whizzing around
it, where it unscrewed the cap of the bottle and drank the water!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>The
Sacred Monkey Forest</b> is a leafy nutmeg and banyan tree forest and monkey
sanctuary close to Ubud town centre. In the forest, there are many old temples
and statues, all covered in moss and monkeys. It’s a beautiful and ancient
looking place and it’s perfect for photo opportunities but beware because many
tourists report being ‘terrified’ ‘chased’ and ‘mugged’ by the monkeys!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxPcIEZOEvrZQy8JbS5ffGrPYyM3dUiNjjNtNRQS0u4MBUm3o3bhyphenhyphenf9e1aLM4_CPMqc0zWYP4aUvKvUYyz6HSc9kVQn3eNSxWa6B60EDIk5SXUn9zWDmyr9R4xP72psrjkTsiAGg_UuY/s1600/monkey+ticket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxPcIEZOEvrZQy8JbS5ffGrPYyM3dUiNjjNtNRQS0u4MBUm3o3bhyphenhyphenf9e1aLM4_CPMqc0zWYP4aUvKvUYyz6HSc9kVQn3eNSxWa6B60EDIk5SXUn9zWDmyr9R4xP72psrjkTsiAGg_UuY/s400/monkey+ticket.JPG" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cute ticket collector</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uAGLwj_yKGeud3K3rkAhi7ca_DMDwAcFI0QMqwY2IUi_mtk70sFZ-fuBS47Uwhg9Lsbu9pXio153L1s7bATa6Cos-AJDIbXZPa9avkxkS-MXp965i0Etg8rLheY0MuywlPWStbOEx-M/s1600/monkey+forest+%2528542x800%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uAGLwj_yKGeud3K3rkAhi7ca_DMDwAcFI0QMqwY2IUi_mtk70sFZ-fuBS47Uwhg9Lsbu9pXio153L1s7bATa6Cos-AJDIbXZPa9avkxkS-MXp965i0Etg8rLheY0MuywlPWStbOEx-M/s400/monkey+forest+%2528542x800%2529.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old temples covered in moss and monkeys</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br />We
stayed overnight in Ubud</b> and the next morning our homestead owner drove us
back towards the coast and Bali’s primary resort town - a place called Kuta.
Which we had been warned was the worst place in Bali. It was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>We
hated Kuta</b>. It is a touristy, dirty, sleazy, horrible mess of a place,
with fast food restaurants and a noisy beach packed with hawkers and tourists.
We couldn’t wait to leave – which is why we went there in the first place
– we were being taken from Kuta to the ferry point where we would travel over
to the Gili Islands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>The
Gili’s are an archipelago of three picture perfect tropical islands.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnBnkHJxV4_FV4YmMHJMdHg-dkO75eLwUiZs4joPfXdb1CHD9uc0nt0rsZ6JHS0eyig4fSNF1rUfBRDHWNBVqpnj9BO8T8MUAqX-_6ioQhmMLQdtSqGkhLG16y3-pEn7x8Glesfp2Koc/s1600/lombock+from+Air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnBnkHJxV4_FV4YmMHJMdHg-dkO75eLwUiZs4joPfXdb1CHD9uc0nt0rsZ6JHS0eyig4fSNF1rUfBRDHWNBVqpnj9BO8T8MUAqX-_6ioQhmMLQdtSqGkhLG16y3-pEn7x8Glesfp2Koc/s400/lombock+from+Air.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The larger Indonesian island of Lombok as seen from Gili Air</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Gili
Trawangan</b> (known as Gili T), Gili Air, and Gili Meno, are situated off the
neighbouring island of Lombok, Indonesia. There are fast boats and slow boats
to take you there from Bali and I highly recommend you do a bit of online
research before you make your choice of sea transport, as there have been many
recent incidents of sinking, near sinking, capsizing, on board blasts and
explosions, that have resulted in tourist fatalities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>So heed
the warning <a href="http://www.gili-fastboat.com/warning-cheap-tickets/">HERE</a> and
don’t just go for the cheapest boat tickets.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>The
Gili Islands</b> are a vision of paradise that have white sand beaches and
palm trees and no motorised transport. Gili T is the larger and most developed
of the three and it has gained a reputation from backpackers as a party island.
Trav and I like to beach party on occasion, but on this trip we were looking
for quiet, relaxation, diving, snorkelling, great seafood, and a beach bar with
a laid back ambience, so we stayed on the boat when it made its stop here and
we went onto Gili Air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-pCR5WrNVKoHbz4twEh47emsJ_hVbZZjQSEf7NoZnJuONvJ5oEQFj1rJnfSqWbY_XGWfW4sdrSOD4Q8zi_wPfg1wcOvsfWOEHgtBYitC80f6b8-Zl_m339Zm6s-VlE1RgEATtnKiVyM/s1600/Gili+T+%2528800x573%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-pCR5WrNVKoHbz4twEh47emsJ_hVbZZjQSEf7NoZnJuONvJ5oEQFj1rJnfSqWbY_XGWfW4sdrSOD4Q8zi_wPfg1wcOvsfWOEHgtBYitC80f6b8-Zl_m339Zm6s-VlE1RgEATtnKiVyM/s400/Gili+T+%2528800x573%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We stayed on the boat while others disembarked at Gili Trawangan</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gili
Air </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">offers that laid-back vibe we were looking for but it also has a few
good restaurants and bars and dive centres. Trav went diving with Manta Divers
and I went along too for snorkelling on the reef. We stayed in homestead
accommodation, which was clean and basic in a small garden villa with a nice bedroom and separate</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> bathroom and very inexpensive at around £100 - that's the rent for the whole week not the night - and the local
owners were very friendly. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKY6ytzvHMx9QCcqmNLjVRPawO3-1-2tP9yMZYv47NwLk58d1HZ46xCwC5EdRDLSoyLpKssgt0LfxlT6C2giRk_SQxGQHlu0x5xRH-oliHdJqQXCs2Gl4rekF2gS7v0lz-Am7VIoaCHDw/s1600/gili+air+approach+by+sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKY6ytzvHMx9QCcqmNLjVRPawO3-1-2tP9yMZYv47NwLk58d1HZ46xCwC5EdRDLSoyLpKssgt0LfxlT6C2giRk_SQxGQHlu0x5xRH-oliHdJqQXCs2Gl4rekF2gS7v0lz-Am7VIoaCHDw/s400/gili+air+approach+by+sea.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Gili Air by boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJF7Gs5FvbVVJ9dGWxRV1YIsWVmPOzVyxxwgjnC5vVtsrTwYyVzyzh8rNJ7cldPF6ZZpja6WynXxGhE27RQX8EoS4rBAUChxr5QUx2jr_uLBDOdJp5w3OZskn1APGq0-qjrvvrimUjDE/s400/Air+pony+taxi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pony taxi - there is no motorised transport on the Gili Islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJF7Gs5FvbVVJ9dGWxRV1YIsWVmPOzVyxxwgjnC5vVtsrTwYyVzyzh8rNJ7cldPF6ZZpja6WynXxGhE27RQX8EoS4rBAUChxr5QUx2jr_uLBDOdJp5w3OZskn1APGq0-qjrvvrimUjDE/s1600/Air+pony+taxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNlK0kNAzkbpGb-hNFA9Tismf1zMsitJpR3nByjt_as_m7bue24T2rPEbVmoud4Y72CdGCiezbH3mwD3j4TG87rYFt7rwiI47BMrBxwnHJCXhA9NOeQcCvKwTCEfWSr8jES3uk6kSk34/s1600/air+main+street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNlK0kNAzkbpGb-hNFA9Tismf1zMsitJpR3nByjt_as_m7bue24T2rPEbVmoud4Y72CdGCiezbH3mwD3j4TG87rYFt7rwiI47BMrBxwnHJCXhA9NOeQcCvKwTCEfWSr8jES3uk6kSk34/s400/air+main+street.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Street in rush hour on Gili Air<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pVrXsvM2LYs-fDAb_VS7JOf9GKEAlLqdXo57LuEDPUW0ofQXO4IckdgqSYuMM8ZLsQ350d_a5GYaxFsBpIKrpu81lJM1k_4oCBsv-AWni0cE1ApGjkaUOC6wS2kYnR1bLaOZ2pmzFrY/s400/Air+room+for+week.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our homestead villa for the week on Gili Air</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pVrXsvM2LYs-fDAb_VS7JOf9GKEAlLqdXo57LuEDPUW0ofQXO4IckdgqSYuMM8ZLsQ350d_a5GYaxFsBpIKrpu81lJM1k_4oCBsv-AWni0cE1ApGjkaUOC6wS2kYnR1bLaOZ2pmzFrY/s1600/Air+room+for+week.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
first few hours that we were on Gili Air, totally by coincidence, we bumped
into two friends on the street (I use the term street but as you can see from our photos it was actually a
sand path along the beach). Mark and Rebecca run Sunshine Divers on the Thai
island of Koh Tao and we had enjoyed socialising with them during our six weeks
on Koh Tao back in January. They had been travelling in Malaysia and Indonesia
following the F1 Grand Prix and were taking some time out in the Gili Islands.
What an amazingly small world it really is when you meet people totally by
chance like that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yQ0m6MTLfmxmaV7EkQ3m_qL0IST3OFwPnS25O-7r4pmBAElfw2pZQPJkPH_zgSya8Z47x3go-E_u9qtpYaf6WJlih2_DWdwlaeab9NJyb-49BwjNSQOV-kwVNL59A5p1TAuhdNpJP18/s1600/fun+four+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yQ0m6MTLfmxmaV7EkQ3m_qL0IST3OFwPnS25O-7r4pmBAElfw2pZQPJkPH_zgSya8Z47x3go-E_u9qtpYaf6WJlih2_DWdwlaeab9NJyb-49BwjNSQOV-kwVNL59A5p1TAuhdNpJP18/s640/fun+four+air.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was so great to see Mark and Rebecca again!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br />It was
so great to see Mark and Rebecca again</b> and we got to spend the next few
days in their lovely company, going out diving, Rebecca and I relaxed at the spa and we all enjoying lunches and dinners and some really fun evenings together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwUKX1v28Qtp9CFMigfq6IYVQqI2K6NVskCWYQrBeGER9PTItilMXz50U-f_Pu6tQNic8Z_ceQlfNW7j0mVtyasjDB1Lyir_CzmYBBDZjpFXBT4ke5MtIeZkG11PuH4P9INKfv6YTeMA/s1600/bar+bill+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwUKX1v28Qtp9CFMigfq6IYVQqI2K6NVskCWYQrBeGER9PTItilMXz50U-f_Pu6tQNic8Z_ceQlfNW7j0mVtyasjDB1Lyir_CzmYBBDZjpFXBT4ke5MtIeZkG11PuH4P9INKfv6YTeMA/s400/bar+bill+air.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark and Trav's bar bill while Rebecca and I were at the spa....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhNdWYYxvv82EXtX-4NMt7nX9DriI-4mRM2DfAs2EqjsE5Sl3tm8-YAuuFJOdR5OVbSRQIKbQtXjxufaPpUafaQxWXpS8lo9VjlLHWKClCwFVKusSoO94zUHG6iHVDVaBtp_R0nr6_ro/s1600/air+diver+crossing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhNdWYYxvv82EXtX-4NMt7nX9DriI-4mRM2DfAs2EqjsE5Sl3tm8-YAuuFJOdR5OVbSRQIKbQtXjxufaPpUafaQxWXpS8lo9VjlLHWKClCwFVKusSoO94zUHG6iHVDVaBtp_R0nr6_ro/s400/air+diver+crossing.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gili Air is a great place to go scuba diving<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH15ubCFQQEnezuA9TxpaRhyphenhyphenoPu-_KobvrIIo2MJBtbS4l1HQ5hnif8PfnEZR28SN9Vl-Sc97tR3yVmAq44Q0euFWgkJaUuR9O8HYHZ63JH6FAWOZ6L31W_0ihA7FJXbi16Q_dMj4Hn6A/s400/air+trav+manta+dive.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went out with Manta Divers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lbv0mvoCbs-aeQzbjuI-kMb2Iw6Nr6YpxSw3-TwReOu5PQ-g_3xH7ydbcIHCzymAebecZwFP2VUTYezKAlgbnLsLlf_xaD_xkZlu3XWNpJobB3_dWAjtNQIxBj41K4aEUQURenYVQOU/s1600/air++dive+gear+on+pony+taxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lbv0mvoCbs-aeQzbjuI-kMb2Iw6Nr6YpxSw3-TwReOu5PQ-g_3xH7ydbcIHCzymAebecZwFP2VUTYezKAlgbnLsLlf_xaD_xkZlu3XWNpJobB3_dWAjtNQIxBj41K4aEUQURenYVQOU/s400/air++dive+gear+on+pony+taxi.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pony and cart transport for the dive tanks - poor pony!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNA3N0Qv7V-jEwjiMdg8U9swTG0-9ZJAVnwtyvpZJLL2LNPJruP7xR-GZemBmuvXA0VBpnPo1vlTuZhbGP4-HPFAIHySqmu-PZu4Q9r35LEWA4jpluEwNEUnPjdF-mtVPc6fsM6ks4vQ/s400/mark+becca+gili+air+diving.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark and Rebecca</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNA3N0Qv7V-jEwjiMdg8U9swTG0-9ZJAVnwtyvpZJLL2LNPJruP7xR-GZemBmuvXA0VBpnPo1vlTuZhbGP4-HPFAIHySqmu-PZu4Q9r35LEWA4jpluEwNEUnPjdF-mtVPc6fsM6ks4vQ/s1600/mark+becca+gili+air+diving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NmGFfRf0sC-HlEX8eFvL4OwdVj0d1JqW1JSCwYmJcEfEvej4kb72-3xWuAhXfZg1lAjfBF3qzr69qRZqUaxWPhF_fYBPE3TVjMNlfOh3KHAuZcIxt_KBZgSSsRln6EbA1PpXfPqBzW8/s1600/air+boat+me+and+trav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NmGFfRf0sC-HlEX8eFvL4OwdVj0d1JqW1JSCwYmJcEfEvej4kb72-3xWuAhXfZg1lAjfBF3qzr69qRZqUaxWPhF_fYBPE3TVjMNlfOh3KHAuZcIxt_KBZgSSsRln6EbA1PpXfPqBzW8/s400/air+boat+me+and+trav.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Trav<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc_AwwB3_yv0RtocFuiJ6vnwRawHSK6LTYX_QpfsNuV2-snOqUe3frANlEBkwLe2VqynL20BX2DbcxKFL76-uGC-cYk3czlyrerhSppuDyy1SQ9tM6MjE8Tp0KNteKyIzxfPBMHgSwZY/s400/air+trav+on+boat.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to go diving!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc_AwwB3_yv0RtocFuiJ6vnwRawHSK6LTYX_QpfsNuV2-snOqUe3frANlEBkwLe2VqynL20BX2DbcxKFL76-uGC-cYk3czlyrerhSppuDyy1SQ9tM6MjE8Tp0KNteKyIzxfPBMHgSwZY/s1600/air+trav+on+boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_52n8416X2n_WTD15sh4QXdj692VQZuD-UKvtqTc7VW31O7ZcJ0e8v3t2R-mfwe-DddhqatEvGOKi8NBtWaBwYcjFVoMi9eAY9OWRkD7iLOCyA8S3FobA_QTKy9sHoRbhGutdnDnEJCo/s1600/air+diving+trav+going+in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_52n8416X2n_WTD15sh4QXdj692VQZuD-UKvtqTc7VW31O7ZcJ0e8v3t2R-mfwe-DddhqatEvGOKi8NBtWaBwYcjFVoMi9eAY9OWRkD7iLOCyA8S3FobA_QTKy9sHoRbhGutdnDnEJCo/s400/air+diving+trav+going+in.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going in - Trav is ready to dive...<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJviR0PmKl-yrA27JlZNsuSJNrJb6qNHAhBQhXVbcjtxir2J9BPWNieGPJZTV_iFSGFlb2tGklHmedT8XoDG6ThEeAVCNXI0wBuJd9oJcVogl2HCgvDKDts-rU8HYTpn4w-vDC2d1wnc/s400/mw+trav+boat+snorkle+air.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a great day out on the dive boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJviR0PmKl-yrA27JlZNsuSJNrJb6qNHAhBQhXVbcjtxir2J9BPWNieGPJZTV_iFSGFlb2tGklHmedT8XoDG6ThEeAVCNXI0wBuJd9oJcVogl2HCgvDKDts-rU8HYTpn4w-vDC2d1wnc/s1600/mw+trav+boat+snorkle+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwjrZb3KpFTMX5mw3yjDP9VsYQbelIUgycdb_ttVxftAtYIIAW5SkbDD_5SWJ-3kR2m6x1VuXmIIPC6rwatv8P6ge4RTOztFHp33FJ7YtKfQ_uTW8iiKW87kHVq_TSuXTgYR1Om6nXao/s1600/goodbye+gili+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwjrZb3KpFTMX5mw3yjDP9VsYQbelIUgycdb_ttVxftAtYIIAW5SkbDD_5SWJ-3kR2m6x1VuXmIIPC6rwatv8P6ge4RTOztFHp33FJ7YtKfQ_uTW8iiKW87kHVq_TSuXTgYR1Om6nXao/s400/goodbye+gili+air.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye Gili Air</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br />After a
week,</b> Trav and I moved on to the smallest and least developed of these islands,
Gili Meno. I was really looking forward to this non-commercial, wild and
peaceful and tropical experience of this island, which boasts the best
white sand beaches and peaceful romantic setting. On this island, I found a
gorgeous little boutique hotel and eco-resort in the middle of an old coconut
plantation and tropical garden. It also had a swimming pool and the most
beautiful villas. So we decided to treat ourselves and make this place our home
for the next few days and nights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1ixwK74K4C9vOEHh1biqxVJItLaMC4W6kZ5ju0Ovqu4DH2qfo7L07yTDzOPPvXYqkCi3BhM5Pu8pH_9x0gL_9iY5vhPpdm6eqxsRnx7f-l8lvh92kDuhSBdkRBrNR0tOo6YPkMq9r0E/s1600/hotel+pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1ixwK74K4C9vOEHh1biqxVJItLaMC4W6kZ5ju0Ovqu4DH2qfo7L07yTDzOPPvXYqkCi3BhM5Pu8pH_9x0gL_9iY5vhPpdm6eqxsRnx7f-l8lvh92kDuhSBdkRBrNR0tOo6YPkMq9r0E/s400/hotel+pool.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our paradise hotel on Gili Meno</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZqHNeqTlBh53LbqS-QtRANnKLUI87W7mOaHYpL-fIbTiKx2hJtSJ6TwUEPvHbkUwLRoVx98Ew7-im0nUhO_ZMMjRHmfQP3PBqIM6dwSqssnVrYvtsxpBy7cHCtSkTrGMlVxRGZC6KFU/s400/our+room1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room on Gili Meno - a bit of luxury</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZqHNeqTlBh53LbqS-QtRANnKLUI87W7mOaHYpL-fIbTiKx2hJtSJ6TwUEPvHbkUwLRoVx98Ew7-im0nUhO_ZMMjRHmfQP3PBqIM6dwSqssnVrYvtsxpBy7cHCtSkTrGMlVxRGZC6KFU/s1600/our+room1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL9hF9e3i6eseNAr4PxIOABG93e-xgXjfyntKorJaE9OM_aKv61TGBC3R1Cq-w9DHsMpqJNBkdTuJo5FTrk9Um473ieUl3rXisdvqN34FwHKGA_u1BPLlN9mQbedPsbEvZnBsTuSaptE/s1600/Patrick+and+Michelle+Meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL9hF9e3i6eseNAr4PxIOABG93e-xgXjfyntKorJaE9OM_aKv61TGBC3R1Cq-w9DHsMpqJNBkdTuJo5FTrk9Um473ieUl3rXisdvqN34FwHKGA_u1BPLlN9mQbedPsbEvZnBsTuSaptE/s400/Patrick+and+Michelle+Meno.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends we met on Gili Meno Patrick and Michelle from the Netherlands</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br />What an
amazing and totally relaxing experience we had on Gili Meno – our kind of
tropical island – so no apologies for all the photos of the island!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZDoGGGJjL3T_3Pxto4A3ySA20DGUmup-Q-hIb5qiBJb2VgmYBu2wznsI1eaueNUiAMURqiIjWaUQJFs0AFP_AoNWTvM_5n0v7_nBJBbV0LMgfgNnFxwLQoVnV7zR84sYk2_0WlhpmDg/s1600/pony+taxi+on+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZDoGGGJjL3T_3Pxto4A3ySA20DGUmup-Q-hIb5qiBJb2VgmYBu2wznsI1eaueNUiAMURqiIjWaUQJFs0AFP_AoNWTvM_5n0v7_nBJBbV0LMgfgNnFxwLQoVnV7zR84sYk2_0WlhpmDg/s400/pony+taxi+on+meno.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pony and trap taxi on Gili Meno</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmd6u6W9EqXRuZRJB0-I6KLjnMhFVj5fa4F8s5gdZ1LdwYaTJ3KHtfbhtAAwuSHlswy2gfRAjZFLxROyu43jEAiALAhbdX9bUB52YZmRLqrPPr18asoXF017DfZ3Gm65XOKpqMw_JoIM/s400/main+st+meno.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Street Gili Meno</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmd6u6W9EqXRuZRJB0-I6KLjnMhFVj5fa4F8s5gdZ1LdwYaTJ3KHtfbhtAAwuSHlswy2gfRAjZFLxROyu43jEAiALAhbdX9bUB52YZmRLqrPPr18asoXF017DfZ3Gm65XOKpqMw_JoIM/s1600/main+st+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7vqLSjYY1G7jNLYpLwckkfyN03cmRLel6W0hm1-nWiR3Y3lpXwmZihXlZWBz51oXBTXG36PmenQwftUIqrut_6W40JPtulVZqmwmOdoh01sh7AmY4ebPm4MVUPycUB5tr1hh5Ol6NWc/s1600/beautiful+beach+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7vqLSjYY1G7jNLYpLwckkfyN03cmRLel6W0hm1-nWiR3Y3lpXwmZihXlZWBz51oXBTXG36PmenQwftUIqrut_6W40JPtulVZqmwmOdoh01sh7AmY4ebPm4MVUPycUB5tr1hh5Ol6NWc/s400/beautiful+beach+meno.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most beautiful white sand beaches</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFFDH-I0gUODZ3baqBjBiWwseT6G-Zpdd8TFWIOaIyLeIn-kY7aWgKlO9JLSSPUTgS2fBqfANuFjwrpsdlMyKe7PY_VqPfZEjAz4ykL9MeM8HgjdLfwuaZm_5SSpC8g9yp247te1tES0/s400/me+swing.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="277" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun in the sun</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFFDH-I0gUODZ3baqBjBiWwseT6G-Zpdd8TFWIOaIyLeIn-kY7aWgKlO9JLSSPUTgS2fBqfANuFjwrpsdlMyKe7PY_VqPfZEjAz4ykL9MeM8HgjdLfwuaZm_5SSpC8g9yp247te1tES0/s1600/me+swing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxQKj0ieo51itJCZredZXX79FqZdw9CbK07dQ_A0qBfL8opVoGvEOeMDGLX0LZYyfTiH0jjf91Gn2zuqrG4QSl2Uj7lWwohC-u_877NakMirsUQRzowhCwEMuQqKA_d3rPq7znvZaTzw/s1600/me+beach+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxQKj0ieo51itJCZredZXX79FqZdw9CbK07dQ_A0qBfL8opVoGvEOeMDGLX0LZYyfTiH0jjf91Gn2zuqrG4QSl2Uj7lWwohC-u_877NakMirsUQRzowhCwEMuQqKA_d3rPq7znvZaTzw/s400/me+beach+meno.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the beach. Gili Air in the background</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCdjfj4NtTWVPrrBMEcR5hQGTBfNzP-pvqz128Lke_shQqKuO9q6yJoLvAOOfb13LkU6OkKCq2Z5G4e8jKNcRtC3j-PYr-VtVDTRI7IQ0tzKQHVs5-ObVcP6ljWc1mHJCzrGrDZb0EUI/s400/boats+meno.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a walk around the entire island and snapping away</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCdjfj4NtTWVPrrBMEcR5hQGTBfNzP-pvqz128Lke_shQqKuO9q6yJoLvAOOfb13LkU6OkKCq2Z5G4e8jKNcRtC3j-PYr-VtVDTRI7IQ0tzKQHVs5-ObVcP6ljWc1mHJCzrGrDZb0EUI/s1600/boats+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGcNZzxNSXAVYxYTG6IKXMV409tmUSVEwHUce9LN5PHGpQHWcMTpTFCU1HuZjL5HHiCJz8cCmLaQ30yLLhqEud0AJK5Pzo66uMVuwl7pBD_VdwJfAVCQORed_BL2YPkhJbky5Bp6XLmc/s1600/art+shop+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGcNZzxNSXAVYxYTG6IKXMV409tmUSVEwHUce9LN5PHGpQHWcMTpTFCU1HuZjL5HHiCJz8cCmLaQ30yLLhqEud0AJK5Pzo66uMVuwl7pBD_VdwJfAVCQORed_BL2YPkhJbky5Bp6XLmc/s400/art+shop+meno.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The art shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjHnO9QbGzWlu7mDYF017A1A0HCU9v3sU4vtnqkDIY_fketvHp1deuH9qR0cgFYyTA7MaKxGb4luYzezrFO0_V-tWe0tFRGTPkyOV-ADuHA-X6l-gj4HQZgs5HQNtkjbopdTLCRp8bOk/s400/fruit+seller+meno.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit seller</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjHnO9QbGzWlu7mDYF017A1A0HCU9v3sU4vtnqkDIY_fketvHp1deuH9qR0cgFYyTA7MaKxGb4luYzezrFO0_V-tWe0tFRGTPkyOV-ADuHA-X6l-gj4HQZgs5HQNtkjbopdTLCRp8bOk/s1600/fruit+seller+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvvt6EqHJ00U_Tldd6WyXf051SUiwTW6XloMR1IL37XBGNMIRTXbIT10UnfE8eXCH4RGUglg8S8S6wswwJ1LchSzpCVX7mHTiughVhann5u1WdNYYZfwJITcmN-xMtYf63MtTZ6Gr6jk/s1600/meno+harbour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvvt6EqHJ00U_Tldd6WyXf051SUiwTW6XloMR1IL37XBGNMIRTXbIT10UnfE8eXCH4RGUglg8S8S6wswwJ1LchSzpCVX7mHTiughVhann5u1WdNYYZfwJITcmN-xMtYf63MtTZ6Gr6jk/s400/meno+harbour.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The harbour on Gili Meno - Lombok in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJXMJpffaOTrl3BZG207wVeTIKgVEttGJk2MKkymHptqlTg9WlDeJt1DKlXTaVKfuhSUve7vvsJy5AWR0250uVUJsMsbhXzhJ3lBcqR2IkzPq8gzadKFAV9r-8HHO-q8USC85jqfITuI/s400/fav+pic+meno+boat.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fav photo - a cure for the blues...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJXMJpffaOTrl3BZG207wVeTIKgVEttGJk2MKkymHptqlTg9WlDeJt1DKlXTaVKfuhSUve7vvsJy5AWR0250uVUJsMsbhXzhJ3lBcqR2IkzPq8gzadKFAV9r-8HHO-q8USC85jqfITuI/s1600/fav+pic+meno+boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscHi9QcmraJHhltODw5T5QH5Kd6KBWT74-mK9jS46H7HO5v2Slk2CzbRjHaScmrouK_S2xjxKCO0jFcV0L4jgbUnfh5VSCOArywHw0ie39ALvCr-fuwzEXSkH2pfdBwotH__HvX0pTTY/s1600/next+weeks+accom+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscHi9QcmraJHhltODw5T5QH5Kd6KBWT74-mK9jS46H7HO5v2Slk2CzbRjHaScmrouK_S2xjxKCO0jFcV0L4jgbUnfh5VSCOArywHw0ie39ALvCr-fuwzEXSkH2pfdBwotH__HvX0pTTY/s400/next+weeks+accom+meno.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next week's accommodation, perhaps?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSJDkOqyhB1dVH16q4CC-5nzQPLkJRxdgPObg71GpmydlJ0sjBLhCdnjwZPR2KhhJhqdjhD-iSeJ2UfQ8hbocVu901VK1TzgiSqN5KGpM5uvKYYRPvVSuHKaFQCOW1LqZXdJtwgAQTI8/s400/turle+sanctuary+meno.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtle sanctuary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSJDkOqyhB1dVH16q4CC-5nzQPLkJRxdgPObg71GpmydlJ0sjBLhCdnjwZPR2KhhJhqdjhD-iSeJ2UfQ8hbocVu901VK1TzgiSqN5KGpM5uvKYYRPvVSuHKaFQCOW1LqZXdJtwgAQTI8/s1600/turle+sanctuary+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDVH2OV2YL31Yp1KB5UJ3ybU6DoMc_neXq822e-leW1aYKaDPCTugNlL8-axksbghyygilaJGf1BKpZb83zXCfKRRy07ZmxNBqZ84BfWEatE_KzFcj8SzoJS5zmcMjBGmevOoNrufk8w/s1600/me+sunset+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDVH2OV2YL31Yp1KB5UJ3ybU6DoMc_neXq822e-leW1aYKaDPCTugNlL8-axksbghyygilaJGf1BKpZb83zXCfKRRy07ZmxNBqZ84BfWEatE_KzFcj8SzoJS5zmcMjBGmevOoNrufk8w/s400/me+sunset+meno.jpg" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It felt so good to eat dinner on the beach every night on Gili Meno</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcn-Lv6aeTHdTZh2ZHsfw-Tvtvk3Eve51sIPd120I0E81Z_T5_QREcgKYU_5i1yjD0y1mV2C7LICBNZJJZNYlyixF9TrZtDZIVOukDmPtbXGrXsxtWfWL4QjIOhn_XiHsojpCWfY4j1V4/s400/me+and+trav+beach+meal+colour+meno.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romantic dinner and sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcn-Lv6aeTHdTZh2ZHsfw-Tvtvk3Eve51sIPd120I0E81Z_T5_QREcgKYU_5i1yjD0y1mV2C7LICBNZJJZNYlyixF9TrZtDZIVOukDmPtbXGrXsxtWfWL4QjIOhn_XiHsojpCWfY4j1V4/s1600/me+and+trav+beach+meal+colour+meno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqovYgYqglpjSbEewTd4t7f13BoZ290gnsc_7S251y_haJcQRDnKjPQRrp0z8i8-XXpw1Prr-VbwXqc3J3lg-8fHLvgJ_b3yu7fyUPacq5cBvumbzCRNXE-3aDDUvs9CkDBIl3y87gds/s400/me+trav+sunset+meno+nice+pic.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another romantic dinner and a sunset - bliss.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqovYgYqglpjSbEewTd4t7f13BoZ290gnsc_7S251y_haJcQRDnKjPQRrp0z8i8-XXpw1Prr-VbwXqc3J3lg-8fHLvgJ_b3yu7fyUPacq5cBvumbzCRNXE-3aDDUvs9CkDBIl3y87gds/s1600/me+trav+sunset+meno+nice+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
only downside to this part of our trip was that on our last day on Gili
Meno I suffered from sunstroke. I’d spend most of the day lounging around the
pool in the hot sun, drinking a few (to be fair, only two) gin cocktails when
by evening I felt really very sick indeed. Not having eaten since breakfast, I
made the effort to go out to dinner with Trav. We had planned a lovely last
night and we had a reservation for a sunset dinner on the beach.<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As it
was, it wasn’t a great night, as I ended up being sick and passing out. I felt
to ill too be embarrassed about it and was escorted back to our villa by a very
concerned Trav. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thankfully,
as we had two boats to catch and flight from Bali to Kuala Lumpur the following
day, I was happy to be more or less recovered by morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We used
<i>Blue Water Express</i> again for our boat transfers back to Bali and once again we
had a very good sea crossing with them on their fast, safe, and comfortable
boats. Then we flew with the wonderfully efficient and inexpensive airline Air Asia back to KL.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Next time here on the blog</b> I'll be telling you about our need to settle down somewhere for a while and how that led us to house hunting on the island of Langkawi in Malaysia. Being on Langkawi also brought us back in touch with Mark and Rebecca and we had a great week with them on the island although we never did find somewhere to live. Our house hunting failure led us back to Kuala Lumpur again, where we viewed some amazing city centre serviced apartments with their own swimming pools.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We also celebrated Trav's birthday in KL and then we got TWO fantastic offers that would take us back to the island of Koh Tao in Thailand - but only after a rather stressful albeit successful visit to the Thai Consulate in KL - where we went to get our Thai entry visas. To Trav and I, it feels like a wonderful fate that we are going full circle and back to the island where we began this year.</span><br />
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<i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Until
next time,</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Love,
Janice xx</i></span></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732979922713032562.post-38488156286552610082016-12-06T07:10:00.000+00:002016-12-06T07:31:03.818+00:00A fabulous weekend in KL with James and Sujeong Horton!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In mid-September my husband Trav and
I flew from Vancouver Canada (via Montreal, Houston, and Tokyo) to Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. A total flight time of twenty-five hours and a leap in time of eight hours.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As we can never sleep on planes, you can imagine how
exhausted and jetlagged we both were when we finally reached our hotel in KL! However,
we did manage to get a good few hours sleep, before we had to dash back to the
airport to meet up with our son James and his lovely wife Sujeong, who were
flying in from South Korea to meet up with us in KL for the weekend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mu0639UoLgtuX53f-P52UM29ZL4Jw23NzuXlYGRJPDuY25OJN9nhssAJoyHJ8Cufv_MoCrOLmJTRZAv6wR_8RDE1ZCAhqbb7AQovgt1K207ZMqElk6xEjYegqaIMXMOlQx_XBeqpuww/s1600/get+together+in+KL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mu0639UoLgtuX53f-P52UM29ZL4Jw23NzuXlYGRJPDuY25OJN9nhssAJoyHJ8Cufv_MoCrOLmJTRZAv6wR_8RDE1ZCAhqbb7AQovgt1K207ZMqElk6xEjYegqaIMXMOlQx_XBeqpuww/s640/get+together+in+KL.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our son James and his lovely wife Sujeong, who flew from South Korea to KL to meet up with us for the weekend.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We hadn’t seen James and Sujeong
since February of this year</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, when we were in South Korea for our grandson Aaron’s first birthday
celebrations. Aaron wasn’t with them this time though, as this was a strictly grown-up
affair, to help James and Sujeong celebrate their wedding anniversary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We took the KLIA express train from the airport and a
taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Intercontinental, which is right in the centre of the city (KLCC) and just steps away from the stunning
Petronas Twin Towers. Coming into the city at night, the world famous towers
are lit up in white lights and they look truly magnificent!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the hotel,</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> James and Sujeong checked into
their room, where we had arranged for a anniversary cake. The hotel staff did
us proud by decorating their bed with red rose petals. Then it was cocktails
and food and a wonderful opportunity to sit down together and chat and to catch up with each other’s busy lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Anniversary to James and Sujeong!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The following day</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> after a hearty breakfast, we
headed out to go up to the top of the Petronas Twin Towers – the number one
attraction in KL – and we also had tickets to walk across the skybridge that
connects the towers at levels forty-one and forty-two. The views of the city from
the top and from the bridge are breathtaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up from the street at the Petronas Twin Towers</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>After lunch we hit the malls for some serious shopping and we
had a ball.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Then it was back to our hotel for complimentary afternoon
cocktails and tapas.</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After which, we enjoyed the luxury of our club rooms, until it
was time to go out to dinner. We chose a Japanese restaurant for James and
Sujeong’s anniversary dinner and it was a wonderful evening.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7AtOqEj7m5QkcnHb4C2GeQ5j7_iS6rE1sXD0jcC5baATWTouK-hLW0cOD1jYMxDeuvblNBoMfGb_w8n8-E4z-JILDW-cC7ssmd1_9DYJVTAJXe25LdGzakOErFefp8jEiDbNzdNtIf8/s1600/lovely+J+and+SJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7AtOqEj7m5QkcnHb4C2GeQ5j7_iS6rE1sXD0jcC5baATWTouK-hLW0cOD1jYMxDeuvblNBoMfGb_w8n8-E4z-JILDW-cC7ssmd1_9DYJVTAJXe25LdGzakOErFefp8jEiDbNzdNtIf8/s640/lovely+J+and+SJ.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Wedding Anniversary James and Sujeong</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We had a fabulous weekend together</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, it went by too fast of course,
but we made beautiful memories and we had a lot of fun. I hope it will not be
too long before we can see James and Sujeong and our grandson Aaron and the
rest of our South Korean family again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I hope that you have enjoyed reading about our special
weekend and seeing all my indulgent photos (some of which were taken by Sujeong).
I enjoy using this blog as a travelogue, and my hope is that for many years to
come, it will inspire those of you who follow our world travels to visit the many places
I have enthused about. I also hope this blog will serve my family and myself as a detailed
and personal travel memoir for the distant future, when maybe Trav and I are old and
forgetful, or indeed no longer here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Where next?</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> James and Sujeong flew back home
to South Korea and Trav and I left Malaysia early the next morning to fly to
Bali.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This was our first ever trip into
Indonesia and we were very excited</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First stop Bali</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> for a few days, then we took a boat over
to the three beautiful and tiny tropical islands off Lombok called The Gili’s, where the beaches
are soft white sand and no motorised transport is allowed, and where most people get about
using a boat or a pony and trap taxi/tuk-tuk or by just walking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo taken by me on Gili Meno - the smaller of the three paradise Gili Islands</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So join me here on the blog next
time, when</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> I will be sharing with you my truly amazing experiences in Bali and the Gili Islands, Indonesia.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love, Janice <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01831786754054878605noreply@blogger.com