Bangkok, Thailand

March 29, 2005

Dear Family and Friends,

I leave Bangkok this afternoon for a two month journey. My flights are on Garuda Airlines of Indonesia and my itinerary is as follows:

29 March . . . . . Bangkok to Singapore. Change planes and arrive in the evening in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia for a two night stopover.

31 March . . . Denpasar to Perth.

25 April . . . . . Perth to Denpasar.

20 May . . . . . Denpasar to Singapore.

29 May . . . . . Singapore to Bangkok.

I am quite excited. I will limit my trip in Australia to Western Australia where I expect to find pristine, powdery beaches facing outrageously blue oceans. Autumn forests and national parks ideal for long walks and short treks. Forbidding deserts and unique geological formations. Kangaroos. Camels. Dolphins. Vineyards and wine tasting. Cold beer. As for Oz cuisine, I don't know what to expect.

I don't know what to expect in Indonesia. I am reading about green terraced rice paddies. Ancient Hindu temples. Volcanoes. Bali beach resorts. I may head east to a neighboring island called Lombok, or I may head west to Java.

If I have any money left, I'll do a bit of shopping in Singapore. If I have any time left I will explore a little of Malaysia before returning to Singapore for my flight home to Bangkok.

Now I must finish packing my backpack. So, I'll say "G'day."

Happy, warm Springtime to all my mates.

Cheers,

Jan

PS Yes. Passover in Perth.

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Beautiful Scenery

On March 30th, 2005 Teresa Merrigan (not verified) says:

Jan,

I spent a month in and around Perth during my visit in 2003. While down south I particularly liked the beach at Margaret River, although that was because there was an over-40s surf competition on and thus lots of fit bodies to ogle as well as the beautiful natural scenery.

Elephant Rocks, near Denmark, is a lovely stretch of coast and the nearby Valley of the Giants aerial walk is quite fun

My favourite spot was Kalbarri -- about 600km north of Perth. It presents quite a stunning arrival scene as you emerge from kilometres of scrub into a little town with crashing surf on one side and calm, azure lagoon on the other. Some good walking near by.

Teresa