NEWSFLASH: Future blog updates

Konichiwa loyal viewers! What happened to the blog? Where's our frequent dose of travel tales and woes? Well, we have been quite busy from the moment we got home. In fact, we are so busy that we did not get the opportunity yet to further develop the blog with the final destinations: Vietnam, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Dubai. Any available free time was used to develop a 2-hour road movie and a photo DVD instead. At the moment, we are not sure when we can continue to build the site. We'll try to keep you posted though. Hopefully you won't have to wait until Chel & Sois' WorldWide Adventures - Part II ;-) Anyways, thanks for the support and the warm homecoming. Keep those fingers crossed, and... till we blog again! Best wishes,

Chel & Sois (live from Maastricht)

NEWSFLASH: Still Alive !!!

Hi everyone! Long time no blog... or something like that. There are several reasons for this, the most important one being a "killer" schedule during the last legs of our trip. However, we have started a campaign to make up for seemingly lost adventures (and lack of more frequent communication). Yet before we continue our digital journey, let's bring all of you blogfans back up-to-date:

We have just come from the wonderous land of the samurais, geishas, salary men, talking toilets, sake, sushi, and Mt. Fuji (and much much more of course)! Japan has to be seen and experienced to be believed. Or, abusing a quote of our Cambodian guide, it often felt "same same" but also VERY different. More so than anything we have experienced during our travels. Now we don't want to go into specifics just yet - why follow the blog otherwise? - but we can say that we had quite a satisfying itinerary. More about Japan soon!

Guess that leaves us with the penultimate question: Where art thou now? Well, we are currently in Smog Kong (= Hong Kong.. duh) and about to leave for Dubai to become Chel & Sois of Arabia. This will be the final destination and culmination of an awesome trip around our far end of the world. But when the month May comes to an end, we will set foot in our beautiful valley of the Maas once again and smother all of you with our memories for a lifetime. Until then... stay safe and sane! -x- Chel-san & Furensawa

NEWSFLASH: Itinerary Vietnam - China

Even though we haven't even fully reported Cambodia or Vietnam yet, we are steadily approaching the Vietnamese-Chinese border. The 7th of April was the last day of our 27 day trip through Cambodia and Vietnam. It was also the day that our new 21 day trip from Vietnam to China started. On the picture, you can see our planned route. For a day-to-day description of our whereabouts and activities, please refer to the following link:

http://www.intrepidtravel.com/tripnotes/CXV/2007-03-01

We are currently (Day 2 - 08/04/07) about to go on a 9hr nighttrain towards the Northern Vietnamese mountain village of Sapa. We are both already feeling excited about the wonderful prospect of crammed wagons, great toilet facilities, and potentially lethal train food. But hey, those are real-life travel experiences. And for more online offline travel experience, please keep visiting our blog. In the meantime, stay healthy and safe. Many greetings from a busy but cool Hanoi!!! [Ps. Our Vietnamese cellphone number will remain operational until 12/04/07. After that we will switch to a new Chinese number. We'll keep you posted]

NEWSFLASH: Itinerary Cambodia - Vietnam

Important update from our current headquarters! If you would like to follow our itinerary on a day-to-day basis, please copy and paste the link below into your browser's address bar for a detailed outline:

http://www.intrepidtravel.com/tripnotes/KRN/2007-01-01

Please be informed that the official starting date of the trip was Monday 12/03/07 (Day 1). We are currently at Day 9 (20/03/07) and are now in Cambodia's only real beachside destination, Sihanoukville. With the official tourplan you can now get an even better idea of what we have and we'll be doing in the upcoming days. Keep checking the blog for the resulting pictures, vids, and stories though! Khawp phun and laa kawn! (Ps. our Cambodian cellphone number is +85-516642517... we think)

NEWSFLASH: Blog Updates & Other Info

Hi everyone! We just wanted to announce that the blog has been updated again with lots of new content. Just click in the menu on the right hand side for all the posts under "Malaysia" and for the die-hard fans, click on "Bonus stuff" as well. We are now in a special place preparing for our trip into Cambodia and Vietnam on March the 12th. More info about that trip will be posted soon. And what about the featured picture? That's something for the next post. Until that time, thanks for following us around and the nice comments. Many greetings from Chickie Rendang and The White Ringgit!

NEWSFLASH: Massive Blog Update !!!

The long WAIT is over! Your dynamic duo is proud to announce that we can now guarantee you all of the most RECENT information EVER! We are fully up-to-date now (the last old post was titled: "The Gold Coast, NSW"). So go ahead, check all the posts filed under the label "Australia" in the right-hand column of the website. You won't be disappointed!

As for the rest of our journey, Wednesday the 14/02, we are heading of to our first Asian destination: Singapore. We fly with Qantas, but since we can't just rely on the statistical prowess of Rainman, we need you to thinks of us. So say your prayers, do your (naked) dances and offerings, or just keep that proverbial eye out for us. The time in Singapore is UTC/GMT +8:00 hours. From Singapore, we will travel into Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) either by train or airplane on 17/02. More information about our Asian itinerary and contact details will be released soon. Keep following us and/or post a comment if you like (everything gets read and fully appreciated). Many greetings from a terrific Australia (but rainy Sydney)! Yours truly,

Chel & Sois

Chelke's Birthday !!!

In between all the travel and exploration, we also celebrated Chel's 25th birthday on the 30th of January. The indirect celebrations started already a week ago with a candlelit dinner in the red and dusty desert of Ayer's Rock/Uluru (underneath a starlit sky), unexpected superduper tickets to the men's finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne, and a riverside dinner to top it all off. Thanks to everyone for their nice greetings, (e-)cards, mails, calls, and sms-es, and comments: it brings home a little bit closer.... -x- Chel & Sois

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: Blog updates !!!

We would like to start of with our apologies to everyone for the long wait: until Asia we ensure you that you will always get updates (no matter how long it takes). As for Asia, since we will be traveling with a group and guide, we don't know how that will turn out. But those matters are for later.

Now, regarding these last couple of weeks, we just couldn't get our hands on decent internet: lack of camera hook-ups, we arrived either too late, in the middle of nowhere, had to do some more ad-hoc planning, or were just dead-tired from travelling. But now we're (partially) back with the final posts of New Zealand and the first posts for Australia. We have decided not to skip any of our adventures so bear with us as these events took place already some time ago (and chances are you might have already heard about them). Nevertheless, we hope that you all will give these new posts a "browse" and in the future, we will try to post a small message on the site to inform you about the chance of any updates.

Just as a reminder: At the MAIN page of the website, on the RIGHT hand side, just click the tabs labelled "New Zealand" and "The land of Oz" for more recently created posts (including NYE!!!). Thanks, take care and keep in touch...

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT from Queenstown, NZ

Hi loyal pack of fans,

We're back with a vengeance, straight from Queenstown (self-acclaimed adreline capital of the world) where tomorrow we're going to do some serious rafting (Class IV-V)! But... that's not what this post is about: it's about NEW site content. We can hear the sighs from here... finally. Let's get down to business:

United States: The USA posts are now officially finished. If you wish to see the final 2 posts, then click on "United States" in the menu on the right. You can scroll down to view all of the USA-related post to get a full recap.

Fiji: The Fiji posts are also finished. Check them out as they provide some real nice stories, pictures, and even videos about .... ? Please click on the "FIJI" link in the menu on the right to see all the posts (just scroll down for more).

New-Zealand: There are already some NZ posts. You will see them below this post if you visit the website. If you want to see all of the already available NZ posts, please click "New Zealand" in the menu on the right.

General remarks: We have heard that a lot of people have TROUBLE POSTING COMMENTS. Here is a step-by-step EXPLANATION of the EASIEST WAY to do this: If you see a post that you like, scroll (= rol) down to the end of that post. You will see RED LETTERS stating: "0 comments"(or more if people already posted, eg. 5 comments).

> STEP 1: Click on "0 comments" and a comments box will pop-up. In this separate box, you will see an empty textbox called "Leave comment here" (If you don't see this box, you just have to SCROLL DOWN until you see it).
> STEP 2: CLICK inside this box and type your message.
> STEP 3: Look at the "Choose an identity" box and CLICK "Other" and ONLY fill in your NAME (so we know who you are; NO WEBSITE is needed).
> STEP 4: CLICK on the "Publish your comment" button. Now your comment is published and we (and everyone else) can see it

(PS. If you want to see all comments, then simply CLICK on the TITLE of the POST you want to check OR on the, for example, "3 comments" RED LETTERS on the bottom of the post).

Finally, thank you for being so patient with us. We really didn't have the opportunity (small towns shut down at 5-6 PM) or time (hectic NZ schedule) to update properly (and still you guys gave us nice comments). Keep posting comments, we CERTAINLY read them all, but it is impossible for us to get back to everyone. Thanks and best wishes and good fortune to all of you (and, yes, we miss you too ;-).

(PS. The pics from the posts "Back in One Piece" and "Kia Ora to NZ" will be fixed as soon as possible)

!!!REMINDER!!! On the MAIN PAGE, only the 5 NEWEST POSTS are always displayed; for the REST OF THE POSTS you have to use the menu on the RIGHT and CLICK on the relevant LABELS (eg. United States, Fiji, etc.) !!!REMINDER!!!

NEW PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT !!!

Ok, so we've arrived in New-Zealand in one piece. That brings our flight total already to 7 successful flights. Guess the candles, prayers, and naked dancing are paying off. Thanks for your efforts. Now, this is the first computer we have gotten our hands on, but... time is unfortunately ticking and at this moment we are unable to update the blog (nothing serious just inconvenience). However, please stay tuned as Fiji was simply "da bomb". We don't want to give away any juicy details because we're waiting until we can also put up some amazing slideshows and videos. All you need to know now is that we're in Auckland and doing fine. The time compared to the Netherlands is +12:00 hours (so we're half a day ahead). We will also post a new cellphone number soon. So keep those comments coming because you guys are our link to home.... As always, "vinaka" and don't forget about us (just yet ;-). Sincerely yours, the Lone Ranger & Tontoa.

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT !!!

Light the candles, visit your local priest, do some naked dancing... but please, wish us good luck for our flight to Fiji (Rachel needs all the divine help she can get ;-) I do too of course). Anyway, the blog will soon be updated again (also with some final USA posts). So keep an eye (and prayer) out for us as we fly 12 hours forward in time!!! Many greetings, your one and only time travellers :-) Ciao!

SUCCESS !!!

Hurray!!!

I wanted to let you now that I successfully completed the official Johnny G. Spinning Instructor course in Santa Barbara, USA!!! This is also the hometown of Mister Johnny G. himself!! Next to my Schwinn (indoor cycling) certificate, I wanted to become certified as an official SPINNING instructor because SPINNING is franchised by several sportsclubs around the world... Also Topfit Maastricht (NL) . It was a great experience to complete the course in the USA. The weather was great and the entire course was given outside, on a rooftop with a sunny view of the hills of Santa Barbara. We had to wear headphones to prevent noise disturbance for the neigbours, but that worked perfectly!! The day after, I had to pick up my manual at the offical Headquarters of Mad Dogg Athletics in Venice Beach. And that is exactly were this picture was taken. Many greetings from your globetrotters!

Today's Cliffhanger

GOT YA! I am not talking about the movie with "Sly" Stallone people. Nope, the term "cliffhanger" is also used for an exciting ending of something (like the end of GTST for instance) which makes you want to watch the show again, or read further in the book, etc. to see what's next. Today's cliffhanger is:

(!) Chel is now (here, in Sta. Barbara) training to become a certified Johnny G. Spinning instructor (!) (on top of her Schwinn certification)

So stay tuned to find out if she succeeds! No betting please ;-) Hey, we have to do something to make you guys come back for more. From a very boring library, many greetings and we will ehm... communicate? soon. (PS. Be sure to check out all of the 13(!) new posts which can again be found under the "United States" label to your right. Thank you , keep checkin' and many greetings... your Dynamic Duo)

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT !!!

Hi everyone... as you might have noticed, we have updated the site with a lot of new content. Now, probably all the new posts are not visible on the first screen when you visit the site. To view all of the new posts, CLICK on the "United States" label on the RIGHT of the screen. Thank you and happy viewing!

Just a few Internet dificulties...

Hi everybody,

It has been a while since we have updated the blog with interesting pictures, videos etc. Unfortunately, there are oftentimes some Internet access problems and not every computer has an USB input to upload our pctures (this computer also not!). We are now already in Las Vegas and scrolled already down the Strip! After we visited Hollywood and Beverly Hills, we went to Santa Monica, San Diego, La Jolla, Joshua Tree National Park and Las Vegas. We will post a complete description of our trip as soon as possible. But probably there will be no possibility to do so because we are now going to visit several national parks (death valley NP, Yosemite NP etc. )that lie practically in the middle of nowhere. So lets's wait with the complete story till the pictures are there! We hope everybody is doing fine :-) and hope to inform you soon... Lots of greetings from Vegas,

Chel and Sois

It's a travelblog!

Welcome to the official Chel & Sois' Worldwide Adventures © blog! We are pleased that you are now (digitally) traveling with us. On this "travel" blog we will try to keep you up to date of our adventures abroad. Please feel free to leave a comment, share your thoughts, or simply exchange travel ideas and experiences. Information about our itinerary and preparation can be found in earlier posts under the "General Info" label. Best wishes,

Rachel & Francois

Itinerary update

Lately, we've been getting more and more inquiries about the exact itinerary of our trip. And because the blog labels do not yet include all the countries, we decided to provide you guys not only with a larger itinerary pic, but also with a summarized account of our trip. Here we go:

(1) NYC: About 3 days of urban exploration in what many consider to be the ultimate city in the world;
(2) Los Angeles: 25 day roundtrip by car through California and Vegas across the many different landscapes in and around the Sunshine State
(3) Fiji Islands: 5 days of gazing at beautiful sunsets and sceneries including activities like snorkling and hiking;
(4) New Zealand: we have about 22 days available to explore the northern and the southern islands and meet some Kiwi's and perhaps to see where they shot parts of the LOTR-trilogy;
(5) Australia: G'day mate! From Sydney to Ayer's Rock, we're going for a 60(!) day hands-on, down-under and dirty scavenger hunt across Oz's best known and undknown sites;
(7) Malaysia: Not certain about the number of days (current guess is 7), but we do plan to also visit Malaysian Borneo to see the Orang Utan Reserve and even to try to climb Mount Kinabalu (4102mtr/13458ft);
(8) Thailand: We're using Bangkok as 5-day hub to transfer to Cambodia for two organized trips from Cambodia to Vietnam and all the way through China. In Bangkok, we're going to try to stay at a Muay Thai Training Camp to fully immerse ourselves in Thailand's #1 national sport. So check back to see whether or not we get our @sses kicked!;
(8) Cambodia and Vietnam: 27 days of basic and small group guided exploration through these two magnificent countries with turbulent histories.
(9) China: 21 Days from Vietnam through China in which we will probably end with biking a section of the Chinese Wall (don't pin me down on that one though). Keep in mind that the trip notes gave it a very high culture shock rating so this trip could generate quite some "interesting" posting material;
(10) Japan: The Land of the Rising Sun. 10-12 days is the idea for this final destination. We can't wait to roam the streets of Tokyo and interact with the local in the hope to experience some real Japanese culture (manga included!);
(11) Hong Kong - Amsterdam: A quick stop in Hong Kong before we head on home.

We feel blessed and privileged to be able to turn this itinerary into reality. Hop on for the ride and keep an eye out for us! Hasta la vista!

Departure

Our departure is scheduled at the 23rd of October at 10:50 AM (GMT+1:00) from Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam. Rachel's parents will waive us goodbye at Schiphol Airport where we'll board Delta Airlines fligth 1841 to New York, NY. We have two and a half days at our disposal in which we're going to try to bite a good chunk out of the Big Ol' Apple! Check back soon for more urban details. Ciao!

" Gearing" up

Over the last 1-2 months, we have spent considerable time planning our trip and purchasing the right "gear". The picture shows a near complete arsenal of items which range from comfortable (?) lightweight matresses to emergency blankets and even a sterile kit including antibiotics and seringes. For those interested in (extensive) traveling, a good list of items to pack can be found on http://www.joho.nl (Dutch only, sorry). Currently, our backpacks and we are ready to start exploring. So George... we're coming baby!