Leonard Family Around the World Adventure

Day 22, Thursday December 27 th . I awoke early this morning and got some great work hours in. The internet connection is so spotty and acts very strange. I was able to finally get blogs posted by saving them in word 2003 format, copying them to a flash drive, taking them downstairs and posting them using the hotels computers. We ate breakfast and the girls did some school work while I continued working. The car was delivered; we inspected it – it seemed fine – but had no gas. The lady that delivered the car took it and brought it back shortly with ¼ tank of gas. The girls loaded up a day bag – I was immersed in work and the next thing I knew they were waiting for me downstairs. I hurriedly gathered my stuff and off we went. We negotiated the car for 4 days 3200 baht – wow just a single taxi ride last night had cost 600 and when we were trying to get to Patong beach the other night one way was 400 baht. The car was a Suzuki samurai – probably 10 years old – 1,000,000 miles? I

December 26 th – Boxing Day. We sleep in until 8am. I get up and does some work – we all go down to the breakfast. The girls hit the internet and work on some school work, Pam inquires about a rental car and makes an arrangement for one tomorrow. I blog the last 3 days, the internet connection is acting strange not working as expected but I am able to check e-mail. We call Lea to say Merry Christmas. We plan on calling others, Pam leaves a message for Amy but it gets pretty late Pam was talking to Viki and came up to the room in tears – saying she made him cry. She was inquiring about the Tsunami – today is the 3 year anniversary and he told the story of that day and it made him cry. As Pam relayed it to me he was working about 9am at one of the tailors shops he owned (I gather he starts them up and sells them) at Bang Tao beach. He heard people talking abut water and assumed there was a sewage or water main break until he noticed water coming up to his shop. They locked up the

December 26th, 2007 This is the second time I am writing this entry – I went to hit save and word crashed – unbelievable – I am very frustrated with Office 2007 – I have never before lost so much work in word. Pam had come into the room in tears and I decided to hit save and a dialog came up saying the program had stopped responding – unbelievable – so I will try to recreate what I wrote earlier. After my bag did not arrive we checked the international baggage claim to see if it had been misrouted – no luck. I filed a report and the man taking the report had never heard of the Benyada lodge – an ominous sign. My bag had all of my clothes – except what I was wearing – shorts, the charger for the notebook – I cannot even imagine trying to replace that – Dell chargers are finicky and I have tried others – sometimes they will run the notebook but not charge the battery and finally all of my medications were in the bag. Another lesson learned – if I ever see my luggage again I will be more

Day 19 is Christmas Eve December 24th – It did not feel like Christmas at all. It was our last day in Bangkok and I am actually ready to move on. Pam met a family from Brazil that was living in Tokyo. They had hired a driver for the first day when they arrived in Bangkok and were using the same driver to return to the airport as they were off to Singapore. Pam was able to arrange for the driver to return at 11am and pick us up – he will drive us for our final day and deliver us to the Novotel in the evening. Our flight to Phuket leaves at 8am on the 25th. We had breakfast, went to our rooms and packed and downstairs to meet our driver – loaded up in his SUV and off we went. We had not really decided what we wanted to see so on the fly we decided to go the Grand Palace . We spent an hour and a half perusing the grounds. It was beautiful but because it was a Holiday many of the buildings were closed – but we did get to see the Emerald Buddha – awesome. Pam had on capris with just

Sunday December 23, 2007 I awoke this morning and got some work done. Had a very productive conference call for a couple hours. The girls did some school work and Pam kept entering and leaving the room with a pained expression on her face. When I was done with the call I tracked her down in the girl’s room and asked her what was wrong. She was upset and frustrated – the hotel clerk had given her incorrect directions for the weekend market and the wrong street for the restaurant we tried to visit. She said she found the market in our guidebook and we had got off the sky train only one station too soon. She was nearly in tears – I gave her a hug and said everything was fine and not to worry – I think she needed that. I know milling around the room this morning was really us taking a collective deep breath before venturing out into the city again. We decided to hit a Sunday brunch at the Sheraton which was recommended in our guide book. Allysha had had breakfast earlier at the hotel

Saturday 22, December. I awoke having had about 12 hours of sleep. I was able to get a few hours of work done and the girls worked on their school work. We decided to see the Jim Thompson House and to see a movie and go to the weekend market. We had the free breakfast at our hotel and then walked to a water taxi. We took the taxi down the river and then caught the Sky Train to the EBK center. The center was a large mall – we could have been in the US. There was an Outback Steakhouse and every type of store imaginable. It was about 10 stories tall and on the top floor was a 10 screen theater. We decided to go see a national Treasure 2 as Allysha has wanted to see it since she saw it advertised 6 months ago. We all got to see the movie, 2 popcorns and 4 soda for 650 baht – about 19$ US – awesome. There was assigned seating in the theatre. It seemed to b capable of seating 1000 people but there were only about 50 screening the movie. It was in English with Thai subtitles. The n

It was Friday morning 6:30 am when we arrived. With only waiting in one incorrect line we finally find passport services – get our temporary visas with no problems – will out our exit cards and literally walk through customs without talking to a person or an inspection. We picked up out luggage. I hit an ATM and Pam got the address of our Hotel written in Thai and we headed to a Taxi stand. I was already a little nervous about the language barrier as the person at the information counter and Pam had some difficulty communicating. I got some cash out – still struggling getting my mind around the exchange rate I took out 10,000 baht assuming that was close to 300.00 US. At the Taxi stand they seemed to be quoting a fixed rate for the ride to the hotel and Pam kept asking for a metered rate. Eventually somehow we ended up in an old beatup taxi – our bags would not fit in the trunk so the driver used bungee cords to secure them. Pam was still concerned about the price of the taxi – be

I awoke early and spent a couple hours working and on conference calls. I do not feel well – my ankle and sunburn are very uncomfortable – I would not mind a down day but I can tell that Pam is going to try to make the most of this day. We have to pack for an international flight so we get our bags together – eat the rest of our eggs and meat and I am very rushed. We drop our bags downstairs and catch a bus to the Sky Rail to Kuranda. The sky rail over the rainforest is awesome – a bit pricey but cheaper than the train and sky rail – although later a cab driver tells us the best option is to take the train up and the gondola down. We hit the village and decide against the venom zoo, koala cuddle, and butterfly zoo. This is basically a tourist village with a bunch of shopping – not my cup of tea. We do buy some Emu oil and I will try anything on my sunburn. We grab a bite and head back down. We catch a bus back to the hotel – it turns out we could have got a family pass for a lot le

Up early – eggs and meat – sun block and then we catch a cab for the Reef Fleet Terminal. The tour operator was the Australian Down Under – when we arrived there were loads of people at the terminal – I was concerned – how many were on our boat – was our reef going to be teeming with face kicking amateur snorkelists? It turned out about 90 out of a capacity of 140. The boat headed out – there were 2 stops an internal place called Hastings reef and a reef on the outer bank – not the actual wall but we could see the waves breaking against the outer reef – about 50Km's out I believe. I was concerned about Allysha – she and I listened to the snorkeling briefing and Aria and Pam decided to go to the scuba briefing. They offered and escorted dive and they were bth interested. When we were filling out the medical questionnaire I told Pam to mark no to Asthma as I knew they would not let her dive if she did. I was a little nervous and concerned about Pam's lungs and ability to r

One thing I wanted to blog about – during the Zoo snake presentation we got a lesson on how to treat snakebite in Australia. Basically, Remain Clam Do not wash the bite site Using a ace bandage, or by ripping your clothes into strips wrap from the bite site up the limb – for example if you are bitten on the hand wrap from the wrist as high as possible - to the shoulder preferably. The poison actually moves through the body via the lymphatic system so you do not have to cut off the blood – just tight enough to interfere with the lymphatic systems. Using as little energy as possible get to a hospital – if you make it within 3 hours you are very likely to recover fully. Every hospital has a test kit and they will test the bite area to determine what type of snake bit you and administer the correct anti-venin – that is why you do not wash the bite site. I got up early for some conference calls. Pam went to the market to get some groceries – she got some cereals and some meats. The girl

I awoke early and spent a couple hours working and on conference calls. I do not feel well – my ankle and sunburn are very uncomfortable – I would not mind a down day but I can tell that Pam is going to try to make the most of this day. We have to pack for an international flight so we get our bags together – eat the rest of our eggs and meat and I am very rushed. We drop our bags downstairs and catch a bus to the Sky Rail to Kuranda. The sky rail over the rainforest is awesome – a bit pricey but cheaper than the train and sky rail – although later a cab driver tells us the best option is to take the train up and the gondola down. We hit the village and decide against the venom zoo, koala cuddle, and butterfly zoo. This is basically a tourist village with a bunch of shopping – not my cup of tea. We do buy some Emu oil and I will try anything on my sunburn. We grab a bite and head back down. We catch a bus back to the hotel – it turns out we could have got a family pass for a lot le

We arrived last night and due to the lack of DST it was already dark. Picked up our bags, caught a taxi and checked into the Tropic Towers. The keeper just happened to be in the reception area, she did not know what time we were arriving but was expecting us. We carried our baggage up to the room. It is nice a full kitchen, a living room with a convertible couch a bedroom with a queen and a bathroom with washer and dryer. We should be comfortable for the next few days. There is also a broadband router with access you can rent by the hour day, 3, 5, 7 day interval. I quickly calculate that I will get it for 3 days and start it sometime tomorrow morning. We walk to a restaurant a couple blocks away – Dunwoodys . It is large, has a bar, a small gambling area with slot machines, a dining area inside and out and outside a jungle gym for children. A quick check of the prices and we decide to eat – oddly enough it is much more affordable than I first expected. I hope that it is a gene

I slept in till 6:30am today. I thought it was much later it gets light very early here. I used SMS to let Michael know I would try to call him tomorrow since I think our conversation will take a while and I do not want to spend 1.49 a minute. I hope our hotel in Cairns (I think this is pronounced Cans) has internet. We are still a couple hours from Brisbane – the girls are still sleeping but I will wake them shortly to see if they want to surf. I am finishing up charging the phones and cameras. I was going to spend a few minutes tagging photos but I just tested to see if I tag them with the windows vista photo gallery does the new flickr uploader see the tags? It does not. Just took a look at the windows live photo gallery – it sees the tags I created using the windows photo gallery and has an option to publish to flick – I will have to see if the tags are propagated when I have internet access. I am going to spend some time working now. Pam just got up. We ended up getting the contin

Up early again this morning 5am – the girls are asleep – they all seem to be having strange dreams and talking in their sleep – I try to comfort them. I too had very strange dreams about inheritances, being arrested, protecting Allysha – bizarre. I get some good work in – nice iterant connectivity – even install a huge MS SP (386mbs). Had a nice IM chat with Mick. Also spoke with Michael briefly. I wake the girls – they decide to go check out surfing options will I continue working. I try the new flickr up loader – it seems like it has hung -I hope I did not lose all the tags and edits – only 1 of the 25 uploaded – frustrating. Oops – I think I figured out what was wrong – I moved the photos from underneath the uploaded – put them back and retrying – the tags still seem to be in place – if it works I officially declare this program is awesome – to overcome that kind of operator stupidity - impressive! It worked – the new fickr uploader is now officially given the Brian Leonard **

I was up early – 5am to get some work done. I completed a conference call, emails down in the business center to avoid waking the girls. Always feel I am up against a deadline when using a time based internet connection. Got almost everything done before time ran out – hopefully I can finish the rest tonight or tomorrow AM. We packed up – ate some bubbles – a quick stop at the gift shop – loaded in the taxi and off to pick up the rental car. I thought Pam had contacted the agency to validate our reservation but she just got the address. We were supposed to pick up the car at the airport – a 45 minute cab ride away. Fortunately they were able to find a car at the current location – a very nice car – Subaru Imprezza – our luggage fit very well and we were off. A lesson learned here – we really should have had more detail regarding this car reservation – contact numbers location etc. Why it would be reserved out of the airport is a mystery to me. Anyway – we were able to get on HW

Up at 6 – I feel fairly well rested and not terribly sore – but I do have an ingrown nail on my left big toe that looks infected -I will have to keep a careful watch on it. There sure are a lot of sunlight hours it does not get dark till after 9 and the sun is visible already. It looks to be overcast – I could really use some sun. I am not exactly sure what our plans are for the day. I finished a few blog posts and I will get some work in this morning – just have to figure out which internet connection option to use. I have to get the things on chargers but everybody is still sleeping. Paying for do much for internet access is really starting to grate on me $30 for a 24 hour connection with a maximum data download of 1024mb download limit – expires with whatever comes first time or data cap or a time-based account: Please select one of the following account options, and then click the Next button. Please select the account option carefully. We are unable to partially refund an acco

As we depart each country I am going to try to summarize my impressions. New Zealand is a beautiful country with varied features. I have never seen so many shades of green. I can only imagine if it had not been overcast during our entire trip it would be even more striking – especially the coast line. The people we met were not overly friendly, but certainly not rude either. I never heard a New Zealander say thank you, sorry or your welcome. I suppose there are some hints in that fact regarding their attitudes towards life. When I overheard conversations they were often about the economy or politics – we were even asked about our next president. They seem much more world savvy then the typical American. I can see how a true exploration of the country could take months per island – even the travelers we came across seemed to be permanent travelers – they would work for a few months and then travel for a few months – and had been doing that for years – what an interesting lifestyl

Up very early this morning, charged the phones and cameras, downloaded pictures – completed packing and woke the girls at 6am. It was raining again – we made the drive to the airport with no missteps and returned the car – I was supposed to fill up the gas – oops -at least the gas light was on when they rape me with the fill-up charge. The walk from the rental return to the international terminal must have been km – and not pleasant in the rain. A shuttle would have been nice – but every step made me happier that we had packed lightly – I shared this with thought the girls when we finally arrived at the terminal – they just stared at me and Aria wished for a pair of jeans. During the walk I had the thought that NZ was spitting us out - funny. I really enjoyed the country and wish we had not had to skip the Bay of Islands but considering the time we spent I am very happy that we got a fair flavor of the country. So we dragged ourselves through the airport wet and a little cold I am su

I was up at 5:30 this morning – internet connection was so nice – able to work – talked to Mick. We cooked some eggs and had cereal we purchased last night – checked out right at 10 – I had just finished charging everything and downloading pictures. Off to find a surf spot. We drove around for a while – eventually returned to the Main beach – walked to a surf shop and rented a wet suit and board for Aria. We walked back to the beach and waited for a surf school to show up for Allysha in the meantime Aria surfed. The conditions are not great but there are lots waves. Aria is fearless and paddles out – she has some trouble making it to the lineup – a local comes up and tells me where the channel is – right up against the rocks – I walk out and tell Aria and she finally makes it to the lineup. Allysha is hungry and wants Burger King – I am resistant but eventually drive here there - perhaps it will help her feel more comfortable – less homesick. Back to the beach just in time to add

This morning fines me up early (3:30am) - organizing pictures, tweaking blogs and getting a little work done. There are a couple comments on the blog from Melanie and Mick (THANKS!) – It is so nice to get comments – it helps make the blogging feel more relevant. (Mick you should have logged into IM we could have chatted – I was awake). I underestimated the amount of work blogging and organizing pictures was going to take – also need to build in time for ensuring I have internet access. It is storming outside now – funny, for 4 the weeks preceding our arrival not a drop of rain yet since our arrival it has rained at least a little every day. I can see how a visit to New Zealand could consume the better part of a year – we have stayed on the North Island and just barely scratched the surface – we are not even going to see the world famous Bay of Islands. The South Island is supposed to be eve re spectacular – how I cannot imagine as I find this place to be quite magical and overwhelming