crissy&camille

Gallery: Australia

chitlin5 — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:39:00 GMT

Gallery: Thailand

chitlin5 — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:14:00 GMT

Koh Tao

chitlin5 — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:49:00 GMT

AHHHHH!!! incredible. we have just returned from koh tao to bangkok, 1am on the 17th. i think i really dislike the looong bus trips and since flying seems to be even cheaper, chang mai will be by flight.

Diving was great and we have a video of our first time ;) sharks, stingrays, barracudas, turtles, many schools of fish!!! couldn't ask for more. we met a great group of people who went through most of the instruction and diving with us! can't wait for more! heading up north for some cooler weather and then on to laos and cambodia!

BANGKOK

chitlin5 — Thu, 7 Feb 2008 02:22:00 GMT

Hi family and friends!!

i know the site we set up has been quite patchy at best. i guess we have found that an online journal or any semblance of a journal for that matter is not quite our cup of tea. we apologize. i think it is still probably the best for uploading pics to at this moment and we have more to come.

Bangkok, Thailand is amazing. we absolutely love it! we've made it in time for a buddhist holiday and the chinese new year. perfect, as we've gotten a deeper look at thai culture.

....and the shopping!! mom, you want cashmere or silk? ;))

we'll be moving on tomorrow to kah tao, a little island on the east side of peninsular thailand. 1 week there diving should give us our fill of sun and sand and then on to the north where we'll visit hill tribes and hopefully do an elephant trek. some things are still pricey here in thailand...cashmere suits for one ;) ahhh but today camille and my dinner of thai green curry w/chix, pad thai w/chix and 2 beers cost us a whopping 110 baht!!! let's see, that equals ..about $3.20 our accommodation is about $16 for a corner double room with A/C and private bathroom. we could find cheaper but WHY!?

just wanted to let everyone know that we are well and having a great time!

hope everyone and their family are happy and healthy

love crissy and camille

We REALLY are quite bad at updating our journal!!

chitlin5 — Fri, 4 Jan 2008 10:12:00 GMT

OK Then!!! we done a lot and seen a lot since we last wrote. i'm trying to keep things in order but i just seem to keep falling behind. ;)

The Coromandel was fabulous! one of our favorite places in New Zealand as we arrived before the large tourist influx hit. we caught fish off the wharf and collected pipis at low tide..mmmm, had quite a feed with fresh grilled fish and steamed pipis with a homemade creamy tomato garlic sauce. amazing what you can pull together sometimes.

we spent a few days there. kayaking and fishing..nearly pulled out of our kayaks twice when something large hit our lines. most likely a stingray. i'm a bit relieved it broke the line and i didn't have to try to reel the thing up.

AUCKLAND...Goodbye to Bonnie and Mel. Camille and i spent most of these remaining days in auckland searching for a car to buy and sorting out our flights. by this time we had decided to stay on a bit longer!

we saw bonnie and mel off on Nov 30th. it was a great time and we're glad they were able to join us!

now we are on our own!!!!!!

we bought a car this same day and hit the road. first stop was heading to northland, the bay of islands, cape reinga, 90 mile beach and the dunes!! ahhh, the weather was CRAP!! 6 straight days of rain does nothing for the funk now emanating from the car.

Goodbye to an incredible man!!!

our first bit of sun came down in an amazing ray of sun shining exactly the moment when camille was saying goodbye to her grandfather who had just passed..standing at the tip of cape reinga where the locals believe to be the place where passing souls leave this earth. incredible, touching, poignant. it couldn't have been a more proper and perfect farewell.

Gallery: New Zealand

chitlin5 — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:15:00 GMT

North Island in a whirlwind

chitlin5 — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Bonnie and Mel met us at the airport in Auckland driving an outrageously orange mini van called a spaceship. ours was named kenobi. can we look any less like tourists. oh well that's what we are to be for the next 3 weeks. let's have at it.

We began just south of Auckland, staying in a suburb called Manukau. we were to be caravaning it. there were four of us, and though the rental company said sleeps four comfortable, they surely were talking about four hobbit-sized people. it was cramped to say the least. a minor detail. we'll make it work. sooo, the sleeping arrangements were rotated between three options.. IN the van, ON the van or OUTSIDE the van. (we'll put up a pic as soon as we can so you get the idea).

-thru Hamilton, Cambridge and Tirau. Camille slept most of the way..in awe of how beautiful it is.

-to Rotorua, geothermal hotspots and Maori culture abound. we visited a Maori village at Whakarewarewa and ate their traditional hangi meal. helped save a kiwi at kiwi experience where we saw the endangered creatures in action. i couldn't help but think.. they looked tasty! stayed at a campground where the sites were heated by thermal mud pools and toured around Lake Rotorua

-driving south from Rotorua we came upon Taupo. saw our first super-loo. voted best loo in new zealand. it was fab, i have to say.

Taupo was a beautiful area with an incredible lake and several rivers for trout fishing. we visited craters of the moon, a pockmarked landscape teaming with sunken thermal areas. you'd think it would have been warmer but we froze our ears off. we half expected to see a dinosaur hiding amongst the bush. the honeyhive was a great place to pick up some beautiful red mead made from the local honey and huka falls was good for a quick visit and to stretch your legs on some trails.

did our first free camping in Taupo. Reids farm was an incredibly beautiful camping area right alonside the Waikato River.

we met a few other travelers here as well as some locals. Sandra and Martin were a pair from Holland and came over to share our campfire with us. (first and only campfire we've had so far). a few of the locals were Andre, who brewed his own beer and offered to share but later turned out to be a drunken idiot who thought we stole his umbrella and was actually kind of scary by the end of the night. we think it was him who took one of our two camp chairs when we awoke to find only the one. perhaps he thought it only fair..in exchange for his umbrella (which of course we DIDN'T have) there was also Manny, iffy, didn't stay long but brought us firewood. Pete, a contrast. his appearance was gruff and shaggy and seemed a shady character but take a moment and the guy held great conversation was smart and had a quick wit. we liked pete

The evening brought many drinks, some rain, lots of laughter and some frights. Bonnie got frightened and crawled in bed with camille and i. snug fit. we won't let her live that one down. the axe was hidden and we all slept til morning.

We had Sandra and Martin as well as Pete to join us for tea in the morning before we went on our way.

-to Napier and Hastings down the north island and on to Wellington.

In Wellington we enjoyed some city life, having dinner at a pub in a great area for people watching. there was quite some people to watch. even the hari krishna were chanting and dancing down Cuba St. Visited Te Papa, an enormous free entry museum where you can spend all day roaming. somewhere along this point is where we decided to nix the south island in favor of experiencing more instead of just 'seeing'.

-soo, north it is to Mt Taranaki aka Egmont. A quick jot around the island for it's beautiful views and on to Waitomo. Waitomo offered unparalleled caving adventures. some solo hikes brought beautiful caves, gloworms, bush and on one occasion, spiders!! camille and i decided to hike up an embankment where a cave opening could be seen. as we entered, we thought 'how very cool' and stepped in further with our headlamps on. at that time i heard camille utter 'oh my god'. i looked back and followed her gaze upward. UGH!! nasty cave dwelling spiders were all over the cave ceiling above our heads. we made a QUICK exit!!

we also visited the shearing shed where we watched them strap a poor bunny up by its ankles and proceed to shave all it's fabulous fur off..kinda sad, i thought. bonnie did leave there with a beautifully expensive sweater for her grandmother. possum fur was readily available as well.

-Morrinsville, had to see my friend from long ago Aspen. Daniel-son!! Mr. Dan Bodle, his wife Annaleah and their three kids, Keelah, Hunter and newborn Olivia. What a beautiful farm with a view of rolling pasture land, forest, creeks and ponds. we stayed over and here was hatched the idea of extending our travels in new zealand.

The Coromandel!!

short time in fiji

chitlin5 — Sat, 3 Nov 2007 11:26:00 GMT

Sooooo, we have discovered that we are not quite the journal keepers!! so sorry to everyone that has been keeping up with us. We will try to update you as much as possible about what we've been up to so far....

Fiji- we arrived in fiji in the early morning hours of 5am..after checking into our room, we promptly had a long nap after which we were fully rested and rid of jet lag. A little tour into Nadi where we got our bearings, exchanged money and shopped around a bit. not an exciting town so back to the bounty bar for a few drinks and dinnner..extremely nice people. early the following morning we were picked up by our shuttle and driven approx 45 min south where we met the likuri vessel to likuri island known to tourists as robinson crusoe island..quite beautiful!!

5 days of doing nothing!!! how can you beat that? What a great welcoming!! we were met on the beach by the locals singing a traditional greeting and ushered to our beach bure. just in time for lunch!!

we spent the next week on this tiny little island, doing just as we planned.. absolutely nothing!! it was fabulous. days spent relaxing in our beach hammock chairs, evenings watching daring knife and fire dances and some fun island games with the other visitors. all meals were buffet style and quite good. can't forget the kava ceremonies! tastes like dirt as the root of the kava is ground and sifted thru a thin cloth to make a dirty water-like concoction. numbing to the tongue and apparently the whole body if you drink enough..takes a loonng time to 'drink enough'.

there were few activities we joined in but the ones we did were an experience. kayaking around nearly the entire island with schools of fishing flying ahead of us and nearly getting stuck in the mangrove mud flats as the tide was receding. a short hike thru the bush and finding our way back on what turned out to NOT be a trail at all but likely a crab path ;) oh, and the fish drive! where half of us came out injured in one manner or another. camille had sliced open the bottom of her feet another stepped on a sea urchin and i lost a chunk from my shin. ahhh, but the resulting bbq fish was about the best experience we had. the fish that were caught from the drive were cleaned (hands on) right on the beach, a fire was built and the fish tossed right on the coals. when they were cooked they were placed in a marinade of water, sea salt, tomatoes, onions and chili and served up on mini plates pulled from a nearby bush..absolutely perfect!!

the remainder of our time was spent leisurely til our return to Nadi where we met an interesting fellow by the name of Jerry. we could go on and on about Jerry but let's just say he was a kind man. he happily showed us some of the sites including the decorated homes of the duwali merrymakers, complete with lights candles and fireworks. he was kind enough to share kava with us and give us a lift to the airport the following day as well as many tips on our travels. Thank you jerry and thanks to the local crew. sooo very friendly and helpful. ziggy, lex, vili, nani, jp, joe, shobna, among many others! more to come, standby.

Beloved Bertolomew

chitlin5 — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 01:02:00 GMT

Hola Chicas Bonitas,

Hi there gals. I hope these words of mine find you in good spirit and health and in the company of loved ones. I am glad that you are finally gonna complete the journey of your dreams and realize a long life goal. I am especially happy with the partners that each of you have chosen to accomplish this adventure. I know that adversity will find it's way into your trip and be a stone in your path, but together you will not only overcome such adversity but will use it to make your connection that much stronger. There will no doubt be some conflicts along the way, but you two, an outstanding conflict management team, will make those conflicts seem non-existent. Your trip will take you to the places on this third rock that should only be witnessed by those who posses the passion and desire you do. That desire to find each other while enjoying what nature has created and has hidden for a select few. Beauty only perilled by that of yours. While discovering this beauty, you will also discover that which you already know, together you can conquer any obstacle and move any mountain. The sunrises and sunsets your eyes will observe will be some of the most amazing ones ever known to rise and fall. The only thing on earth that can compare to such amazing sights is your smile. As you set your sight on such glory, you will know that you already have what every breathing soul desires, a companion that completes you, a soul-mate for the ages.

On this journey you take with you something that once was part of me. Something that I hope you never leave behind, disregard, misplace, or forget that it is in your possession. A piece of my heart. The hole that remains in my heart is filled with gladness. This is possible because I know that the missing piece is in good hands, and in the only hands that I trust it with. Every step you advance, every corner you turn, every river you cross, every hill you climb, every rock you turn, every path you make, every friend you find, every breath you take, every treasure you uncover, will all occur while in the company of my heart.

I, along with your family, friends, and loved ones, will be back at home wishing you the best on your journey. Make the best of this trip and take in as much as possible. Be safe, be smart, be careful. Remember, not all is what it seems and not everyone is who they pretend to be. There are those who wish harm on others. Who look for ways to take advantage of the good hearts of others. Who look to exploit others and mislead others for their own personal or financial gain. Use your best judgement and question everything and everyone.

Missing you every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year of every decade of every century till infinity,

BERTO

Mom's message

chitlin5 — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:14:00 GMT

It worked! It is so impressive! It's a happy and pretty and colorful site and homey too...it's an ''and so we begin, with open eyes, minds and hearts, with hope for understanding and great acceptance of the different beliefs and lifestyles and tolerance of our fellowman'' feeling.... Wherever you go and with whomever you interact with, they had better treat you kindly ! ! !.....and from you reading those "what to look out for" warnings I know you're going to be so careful and not put yourselves in a position to be taken advantage of. It sounds like there are people, a minority I hope, who make a living off what they think are gullible and unsuspecting travelers. Because of that I wish you could be traveling with a group...It's such a worry, I'll be so glad when you get home and you haven't even left yet! I like your Miriam Beard quote. It rained today but it's suppose to be pretty and warm tomorrow. Going to bed now. I really like the site and your commentary, people are going to enjoy following you on your travels!! Love you, Mom

Gallery: Just the two of us

chitlin5 — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:06:00 GMT

C&C

Likuri Island

chitlin5 — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:10:00 GMT

This is where we plan to let ourselves melt into travel mode. Not exactly your budget backpacker travel, but a way to disengage nonetheless.

Likuri Island off the western coast of Viti Levu. A beautiful island with an all inclusive backpacker resort. Great package deals. All inclusive is quite beneficial as it is the only establishment on the island. You will find no grocery stores here. it is an island all on it's own.

Do everything or nothing..

Let's unwind..

Gallery: Fiji

chitlin5 — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 09:05:00 GMT

Likuri

fear of commitment?

chitlin5 — Wed, 5 Sep 2007 10:19:00 GMT

Nah, Commitment it is!!! Today we bought our tickets!! Letters of resignation are being turned in and our travel insurance it bought. No turning back now... as if we wanted to.

The itinerary? LAX-FIJI-AUCKLAND-SYDNEY out of BRISBANE-BANGKOK-next stop unknown..

We'll be spending a week in Fiji as a stopover on our way to New Zealand. If you have to stopover you may as well enjoy it!! I'm considering this our wind-down period. On to New Zealand where we'll hook up with dear Bonnie. She'll travel with us throughout New Zealand. Next is Australia, a rather quick trip considering the size of this amazing country/continent. Now here's what i've been waiting for..Bangkok! Not just Bangkok, but the center of S.E. Asia. Bangkok is base as we'll spend the next s e v e r a l months exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, possibly Burma and Bangladesh on our way to India and Nepal. A trip to northern China, Korea, Japan.

Now, we've planned our trip in such a way that there is plenty of room for change and adjustment. Europe? quite possibly. STAY TUNED. We'll let you know as we go ;)

how it all began..

chitlin5 — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 06:17:00 GMT

Hey babe, what places would you most like to see in your lifetime?

I can't exactly say what spurred us on to take a year off (more or less) to travel the world, although, I am fairly certain this particular question had at least a little something to do with it. The question, inquisitively asked far more than a year ago, has now become the mainstay of our thoughts. Like those that tour empty homes with no real plan of moving, it was a fun thought. Flirting with the idea quickly became an affair, not quite a promise. Backpacks were researched exhaustedly (to the utmost annoyance of one dear friend in particular) bits of gear and clothing were purchased slowly over the next year. Movies and parties we're ok but if you asked us what we'd like to do today, our answer, more often than not, would include a trip to REI or one of many other outdoor type stores.

Our first travel guide was bought. Rough Guides "First-Time Around the World" kick-started us into making some real decisons. Airtreks.com was our flight researching tool. It was no longer an affair but a relationship.

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." –- Miriam Beard