Where
have we been?
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Log
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Where
are we now? Then we hope to be off to Australia to activate our residency permits, buy a camper van and tour off the beaten track. |
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3 January 2005: India. After spending
beautiful time in Goa, we headed for Kerela, the most southerly
state in India. Water is in abundance here, the back waters stretch
for hundreds of kms, in the hills it feeds lush spice farms and
tea plantations. |
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2 December 2004: India. We have bought
a car - a tiny Indian mini-van. This is giving us the freedom to
move around as we wish and we love traveling independently. Our
route will take us from Delhi to Rajasthan in the north-west and
then down toward Mumbai and Goa on the west coast. |
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20 November 2004: India. We have crossed
the border into India and made our way to Varanasi on the banks
of the Ganges. This city is one of the holiest places in India -
Hindu pilgrims come here to wash off their sins, cremate the dead
or to die here in order to escape the cycle of birth and death.
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15 November 2004: Nepal. Chitwan National
Park in the south of Nepal is home to the Asian rhino, a elephant
breeding program and sanctuary to some of the last wild tigers in
south east asia. We are spending a few days here to do hikes in
the park and to watch the hazy sunset from the river bank. |
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5 November 2004: Nepal. After the rest in Katmandu we headed for the hills; a 10 day trek to Annapurna Base Camp. This trek takes one from dense jungle at the start, to scree slopes and glacier moraine at the foot of Macchapucchre (the breathtaking Fishtail peak) and Annapurna I. |
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27 October 2004: Nepal. Having made
our way over |
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7
October 2004: Tibet. We have arrived
in Lhasa via a flight from Chengdu - forced on us by China's travel
restrictions enforced in Tibet. We are planning two treks, each
of which requires permits, from the oppressive Chinese authorities.
We can feel the altitude - nausea, insomnia. But greater is the
nausea of seeing what the Chinese have done to Tibet and its people.
But the wheel will turn sooner or later. Free Tibet!! |
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28
September 2004: China. We back in China
from Mongolia, so that we can make our way down to Tibet. We arrived
in Hohhot on the day before the weeklong national holiday celebrations.
So seeing that all the trains are full, we might do a local trip
to an old part of The Great Wall of China. That is if we can make
ourselves understood in a country where foreigners are quietly despised,
herd mentality makes everything seems 1984-ish and modernity is
only skin deep. |
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16 September 2004: Mongolia - The Gobi. The least populated part of the planet is breathtaking in its vastness. The Gobi, a desert of rocky shrub land stretches so far you could almost convince yourself of seeing the curvature of the earth. We are making our way to the 'Flaming Cliffs' where the famous dinosaur finds of the1920's were made. Lodgings so far are nomad family ghers and the diet is meat and cheese. |
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3 September 2004: Mongolia. We are in Ulaan Baatar. We have spent the last few days organizing an overland trip by 4x4 through the Mongolian hinterland. It will take us on a 4000km route to some of the remotest parts, lasting 20-25 days. Most of the way will be road less and we will be staying with nomadic families. So updates are unlikely for the next 3 weeks. Wish us well! |
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30
August 2004: China.
We are leaving Beijing for Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. We are planning
a 3 week trip from the north to the Gobi desert in the south,
via the mountains in the west. |
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21 August 2004: China. We are slowly
working our way northward to Beijing. We have stopped off in Xi'an
to see the terra cotta warriors. Then onto Qufu, the birthplace
and clan stronghold of Confucius - his legacy held sway there for
2400 years. Tonight we leave for Beijing by train. We will try to get visas for Japan there, for a short trip to try their sushi. |
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7
August 2004: China. We crossed the
border from Vietnam by train and have arrived in Guilin. It is an area know for its limestone mountain scenery. Here we found ourselves at the mercy of a few English speakers, so it off to Mandarin classes - understanding the tone system is tough. |
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27 July 2004: Vietnam. We have arrived in Sa Pa, hill tribe country in the far north of Vietnam. How did we end up here? A two day motorbike trip to the south of Hanoi became a two week road trip to the north - through countless landslides, breathtaking views and minority tribe markets. |
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16 July 2004: Cambodia. We left Thailand to do a short trip in Cambodia - mainly to see Angkor, but stayed to see the Killing Fields and surrounds. After taking the easy option of flying from Siem Reap (closest town to the Angkor temples), we have arrived in Vietnam - Ho Chi Men City (Saigon), from there we worked our way northwards and will be leaving for Hanoi today. |
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26 June 2004: Malaysia. Decided to do a short trip to the Perhentian Islands off the coast of Malaysia. We drove to the ferry quay in Brad's 4x4, passing areas of recent violence in the far south of Thailand - police checkpoints and bullet riddled cars included. These islands are part of a marine reserve and had the most beautiful coral habitat that we have ever seen. |
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10
June 2004: Thailand We are spending
some time with Brad and Maryke in Songkhla. Then we will be heading
to Koh Pha Ngan for some rest time before we set out again. |
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May
2004: Bahrain. We finally got married
in March! Preparations for the world trip is progressing and our estimated time of departure is early June. A quick trip to London is planned to stock up on trekking equipment, maps, GPS and clothes - Bahrain seems not to be the place to shop for cold weather gear! |
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Where are we planning to go?
Malaysia
Cambodia
Vietnam
China
Mongolia
Tibet
Nepal
India
New
Zealand
Australia
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Arne and Nelda's World
Trip: Photographs and stories of a couple on a world wide trip. Our site
contains photography and travelogues of our current world trip covering:
Nepal, Tibet, China, Gobi desert, Japan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam,
Bhutan.
Also Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, as well
as previous trips covering: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab
Emirates, UAE, Iran, Italy, Tuscany, Paris, London, South Africa, Cape
Town.
Arne and Nelda from South
Africa.
Nelda Johannesen, Nelda Wessels, Nelda Delbrooke-Jones, Arne and Nelda Johannesen,
Arne Erik Johannesen, Arne met Nelda, Arne-met-Nelda.
www.Arne-met-Nelda.com
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Copyright 2004 Arne Johannesen