tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82909543710225267372012-01-05T05:34:28.963-05:002009 - We are living in Atlanta working full time and in grad school.MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.comBlogger431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-38763010577151849382009-10-26T05:42:00.004-05:002009-10-26T06:07:43.962-05:00

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-66000040786156000192009-06-26T08:14:00.002-05:002009-10-26T08:22:17.585-05:00

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-46742742873868132922008-08-08T07:36:00.002-05:002009-10-26T07:44:48.458-05:00

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-76756920424872935812008-08-07T06:15:00.001-05:002009-10-26T07:01:27.163-05:00

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-73174874045825373512007-07-15T17:18:00.000-05:002008-01-06T19:31:40.778-05:00

We arrived in the incredible, new, Hong Kong International Airport. We had to confimr two seats for the next flight to Los Angeles and we werre able to do that no problem. That flight left in the afternoon and we had another 6 hours of time to kill at the Hong Kong Airport. We found a good place to catch a few zzzzz's and before you know it we were on a flight to Los Angeles. This is one of

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-46993146545603045662007-07-14T17:18:00.000-05:002008-01-06T16:58:21.292-05:00

We arrived in Delhi three hours behind schedule and this meant we missed our connecting flight to Frankfurt and essentially began a 21 hour day in the Delhi airport. It was fileld with hours of trying desperately to get a straight answer on what other flights we could take en route to Los Angeles. We were told that we would have to wait until the next flights going to Europe left and that would

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-43928737644572580412007-07-04T04:01:00.000-05:002008-01-06T16:26:59.363-05:00

After a week in Chiang Mai we took a night train back to Bangkok. this train was nicer then the train we had taken to/from Sapa and we really enjoyed having a cabin to ourselves. Our memory of this train ride will most likely be clouded with lots of laughing as we sat around most of the night and just reminisced about the travels we had enjoyed the past few months. Also, we really enjoyed Chiang

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-62940974929298858452007-07-01T14:01:00.000-05:002008-01-06T14:17:33.238-05:00

Before taking a night train to Bangkok, we decided we would take a day trip into the hills to go visit the local hill tribes, go bamboo boat rafting, and also explore the region via elephant for an afternoon. The elephant excursion was quite interesting most notably was watching how docile these large creatures are traversing steep, narrow inclines and declines. We also bought them food along the

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-15726982723949712852007-06-29T04:02:00.000-05:002008-01-06T14:01:06.663-05:00

We took the night train from Sapa back to Hanoi Airport where we caught a flight to Bangkok and then jumped on another plane to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. In Chiang Mai we found ourselves anxious to learn the intricacies of the how to cook the fine Thai cuisine which we had come to know and love. Chiang Mai is known for excellent cooking schools and we found just the right one, The Master

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-63965859960905384522007-06-28T04:01:00.000-05:002007-09-22T19:04:15.931-05:00

A small mountain town, Sapa is situated in the northernmost part of Vietnam and is home to many tribal groups settled from both Laos and China. Sapa is known for a lively weekend market where hill tribe members come to sell and trade hand-made goods. While we've both heard endless positive things about the area, our time constraints meant we would have to book a pre-planned tour of the area in

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-1410955913163824242007-06-25T04:01:00.000-05:002007-09-17T16:54:35.930-05:00

To go, or not to go to Halong Bay had been a question of ours for some time. In the end, we decided to book the trip once hearing from our good friends from Ireland A&O that they had a great time. So, we booked a two-day trip to the bay where we would spend the night on board a junk and sail amongst the islands.The tour company picked us up from our hotel and we had a three hour drive to Halong

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-54307966957646389502007-06-22T04:00:00.000-05:002007-09-17T19:17:13.915-05:00

After four relaxing days in Hoi An, we were ready to continue north to Hanoi. From Danang we caught a flight to the capital which arrived early in the a.m. We had pre-booked a hotel from Hoi An and arranged for them to pick us up from the airport. We've both grown very appreciative of airport pick-ups as it seems to be the hottest spot for scams from local drivers and taxis eager to prey on

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-88029934056929747102007-06-18T04:00:00.000-05:002007-07-06T02:37:26.103-05:00

We arrived in Danang by 8 o'clock the next morning and found our hotel taxi to transport the four of us to Hoi An. Hoi An is about an hour van ride or so outside Danang and we had a pleasant drive along the beach into town. We were even able to convince our driver to make a quick pit stop for photos of China Beach, the beach Americans first landed on upon arriving in Vietnam for the war.Once in

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-6093671557512060892007-06-15T07:10:00.000-05:002007-09-17T19:08:15.108-05:00

We arrived in Saigon via a 7 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh. The road trip was slightly bumpy but supposedly it is getting considerably better than it was a few years prior. The border crossing went very smoothly and before we knew it we arrived in town around 7 pm. While we weren't bombarded by drivers quite as heavily as in Phnom Penh there was still a bit of mayhem at the bus station upon our

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-40943214662432810802007-06-13T07:45:00.000-05:002007-09-22T18:59:16.492-05:00

After an excellent 3 1/2 days exploring Angkor Wat it was time to 'keep moving'. We decided to travel via bus down to Phnom Penh. Luckily the roads were mostly paved and the ride only took six hours. Not too bad. Luckily we were smart enought to call ahead and book a guesthouse in PP and they in turn offered to pick us up at the bus station. This was very good for us since we arrived to a

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-5977782414045327922007-06-09T06:42:00.000-05:002007-09-17T19:28:06.840-05:00

After dropping off our beloved camper van in Christchurch, we woke early the next morning to fly back to Auckland. From Auckland we would catch our next 12 hour flight out of New Zealand to Bangkok, Thailand. We spent one quick night near the airport in Bangkok before catching an early morning flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia. A couple of solid days of traveling! Arriving in Asia was an instant

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-75915525794554580142007-06-07T18:41:00.000-05:002007-07-01T04:02:55.363-05:00

We arrived in Christchurch and parked the campervan at Stonehurst, a comprehensive complex of dorm rooms, campervan sites, flats, etc. We parked the van, cooked up a mean beef stir fry, and went for a walk through the city. The dominant structure in Christchurch is the Christchurch Cathedral (consecrated in 1881) in Cathedral Square with it's 206 feet spire on the top. It is an impressive

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-38370080452822152422007-06-05T17:55:00.000-05:002007-07-01T04:03:37.956-05:00

Driving north from Queenstown to Christchurch we decided to stop off at the spectacular Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park, which along with Fiordland, Aspiring, and Westland National Parks, is part of the Southwest New Zealand World Heritage Area. Of the 27 NZ mountains over 10,000 feet high, 22 of them are in this park. None are as high as towering Mt Cook which rises 12,319 feet and is the highest

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-67435956474073135562007-06-03T17:48:00.000-05:002007-07-01T04:03:55.694-05:00

One of New Zealand's most popular activities is traveling to one of the 'sounds' in Fiordland National Park in the southern part of NZ's south island. The name prompted many conversations between us about the natural difference between a sound and fjord and we were eager to unravel the mystery with our own eyes. As we would soon learn, both of NZ's main 'sounds' were incorrectly named such by

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-89623530588217707522007-06-01T16:33:00.000-05:002007-07-01T04:04:09.473-05:00

We spent a solid four days in Queenstown enjoying the small town ambiance. Queenstown is also New Zealand's most popular ski resort so we were around to see the town gearing up for the kick-off of their 2007 season. Unfortunately, we will miss opening day by a few hours but we've heard NZ mountains haven't the best snow on the globe (much of it is man made) so we'll have to look forward to our

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-81360348452837689432007-05-31T23:07:00.000-05:002007-09-22T18:49:38.502-05:00

From Franz Josef we continued south to Queenstown where we could base ourselves for the next few days. We knew that rain was forecast for the next two days so we were hoping for some down time to check in at home and do a little preparation for our next jaunt into Asia. After a long drive we pulled into Queenstown late in the afternoon and found a place to stay. The town is on a lake surrounded

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-33303821300130098432007-05-28T22:06:00.000-05:002007-09-22T18:43:28.315-05:00

After our exhausting hike through Abel Tasman we decided we had earned an easy morning and treated ourselves to breakfast in Nelson before heading out of town toward the Franz Josef Glacier. Given our late start we knew we wouldn't make it all the way in one evening so we decided to stop over in Greymouth along the west coast of the island. NZ's west coast is one of the most scenic drives with

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-48050004688021120922007-05-25T19:40:00.001-05:002007-07-01T04:04:59.267-05:00

The two of us and our Ezy Cruza campervan (now known to us simply "The Cruza") took the three hour Interislander ferry from Wellington on the north island to Picton on the south island. Upon arrival and a quick bite to eat we headed straight for the beach town of Nelson. Nelson was an ideal spot for us to sort out our itinerary for Abel Tasman National Park. We went to the nearest i-spot (tourist

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-63203989344007056982007-05-23T19:19:00.000-05:002007-07-01T04:05:14.864-05:00

After Lake Taupo we were eager to head to Wellington, NZ's southern most city and the country's capital. The fishing trip was exhausting but a good lunch and espresso kept us moving. In Wellington we were able to book a room at an in-town hostel with off-street parking (unheard of) for two nights which meant we could take our time arriving int otown. The drive from Torangi to Wellington would be

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-14720855551551912712007-05-22T18:38:00.000-05:002007-07-01T04:05:30.789-05:00

We left Rotorua and headed for Lake Taupo - NZ's largest lake. It was another beautiful drive (a bit rainy) and we arrived in Taupo with plenty of time to arrange a few activities (weather permitting). The town of Lake Taupo is where many visitors base themselves before heading a few km south to hike Mt. Tongariro - one of NZ's nine Great Walks. Taupo is a quaint lake town with tons of lakeside

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-88510774695762937362007-05-21T21:15:00.000-05:002007-07-01T04:05:48.282-05:00

We woke up the next morning to the most incredible sunrise ever and said goodbye to our Australian friends as we headed for the Lake Rotorua region. After a brief stop at the Kiwi fruit gardens where we tasted the locally grown fruit and wonderful kiwi shortbread cookies, we were on the road to Rotarua. Lake Rotorua is NZ's second largest lake and a hot spot of geo-thermal activity. We planned to

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-67003836714718339932007-05-21T20:25:00.000-05:002007-07-01T04:06:03.535-05:00

After finally deciding to explore the country in a camper van, we said good bye to the Surf & Snow hostel and its luxurious amenities and headed back to the Auckland airport to pick up our vehicle. We were lucky enough to share a cab ride with two guys from the UK who were happy to give us a crash course on driving on the left side of the road. After a couple of days observing traffic in Auckland

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-16174064831862393732007-05-18T22:30:00.000-05:002007-05-21T21:34:04.763-05:00

After a three hour flight we arrived in Auckland on Friday afternoon and had to quickly adjust to a new temperature. New Zealand is entering its winter and, unlike Fiji, NZ's temp actually changes each season. After taking care of some outgoing flight arrangements, we headed out of the airport and pulled out our warmer layers. NZ is set up perfectly for tourists and there are a lot of cheap

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-63703373155256704772007-05-18T20:50:00.000-05:002007-09-22T18:28:44.433-05:00

The 11 hour Air Pacific flight (Fijian Airline) to Nadi, Fiji was the best we had ever had. The Fijian staff on the flight are welcoming people, offering us socks to keep our feet warm, and warm hand towels to clean our hands before and after our meals. Upon arrival at Nadi Airport at 5:20am we had officially lost a day (left on the 8th and arrived on the 10th). When the sun began to rise though

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-68488050168969989152007-05-18T20:21:00.000-05:002007-05-21T21:03:58.332-05:00

Before heading out of the country we stopped over for a night in LA to see one of Jaci's long time friends and one of Matt's cousins. We only had a night to spend in the city before our flight left at 11 pm the next evening but somehow we were able to cram in a lot of experiences in a short time. Neither of us have spent much time in LA proper so we were excited about anything we might get to

JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041304897468027661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-36081364815225741872007-05-01T14:43:00.000-05:002007-05-21T21:03:40.843-05:00

We made our way to Albuquerque, New Mexico via a five hour drive north west from Lubbock, TX. Jaci's mom Tarrae, step father Tom, and sister Emma all call Albuquerque home. As did Jaci over eight years ago. On the way to the city we always look to get green chile in our bellies as soon as possible even if it meant a drive-up Sonic green chile cheeseburger in Roswell, NM (yummmm). In Roswell, we

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-33711651269138627642007-04-22T11:38:00.000-05:002007-05-21T21:02:44.621-05:00

After an eon in Houston waiting for our visas to India, we were excited to move on to the ‘live music capital of the world’ – Austin, TX. As many of you know, Jaci spent a year in Austin attending UT before moving to Atlanta. She was excited to connect with some old friends and show Matt the town. Once we arrived there was – yet again – much ado about Wyatt’s weight from paranoid hotel staff

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-20456240661017297332007-04-19T12:30:00.000-05:002007-04-24T20:51:38.095-05:00

One begins to understand the true feeling of the bayou when taking a drive on Route 10 through southern Louisiana. The majority of the time we drove hovered twenty feet above the swamps and rivers, catching glimpses of gators, pelicans and other multi-colored birds, fishermen, crawfish farms, and Spanish moss draped trees. Our friend Hank in Cartersville, GA has a duck hunting camp no more then

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-58294455074263962052007-04-18T11:47:00.000-05:002007-04-24T20:51:18.198-05:00

After our first camp night on the road, we packed up the car and started the 2 ½ hour drive to New Orleans. We decided we wanted to really experience the city and opted for a hotel room in the French Quarter instead of our tent that night. As much as we wanted to keep the pup with us, New Orleans is really only friendly to dogs under 30 lbs (one of Wyatt’s first of many lessons on injustices

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-4684086669350682242007-04-17T09:31:00.000-05:002007-04-24T20:43:57.553-05:00

The last few months have been so busy that we severely overlooked the amazing route we decided to take through our native roads en route to NM. After seven years in Atlanta, we are ashamed to say that we have left much of the South untouched. You need not look much further than I-85 South a few hours to find yourself in unfamiliar land. And for those of you in Atlanta (none of our friends of

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-80615093142922727542007-04-15T16:21:00.000-05:002007-04-24T20:50:59.460-05:00

A huge thank you to Matt, Josh, Todd, Brandon, Cara and Stephanie for all your help with our move this past weekend. After ten hours of sorting, boxing, truck loading, and filling the storage unit our warehouse space was finally empty and we were ready to move out. Over and over we are amazed at how supportive our friends have been and this was no exception. Not to mention Joel taking the time to

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-11757234016381257632007-04-13T15:52:00.000-05:002007-04-24T20:50:00.806-05:00

The past week has been incredible as we get ready to send off on our trip. Sean was as always extremely gracious to open up his house for another night of volleyball and grilling. Although chilly, nights like those are what we hope to have again when we get back this fall. This past Friday night we went to the Brewhouse Cafe in L5P Atlanta for our final sendoff. We were serenaded by a great poem

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-59101291016130088962007-04-09T18:34:00.000-05:002007-04-10T20:38:39.986-05:00

We have boxed up all our things at the Warehouse minus some additional items we are finishing up this week. We will be taking everything to a climate controlled storage facility in Norcross, GA this weekend. I have been recruiting a few guys to come knock it out so hopefully it won't take us to long. The plan is to keep our items in storage until we return mid August. Upon our return our good

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-81558343654020100162007-04-08T18:21:00.000-05:002007-04-24T20:53:43.531-05:00

We picked up most of what we still needed as travel gear today after a four hour stint at REI. We now have two backpacks (thanks johnna & craig and joel), two daypacks, a duffel bag, a raincover for the packs, rain gear, dri-fit clothes, hiking shoes, chaco sandals, sleeping bags, sleeping pads (thanks joshua), a multi-purpose utility tool (ditto), 2 person tent, mosquito net (treated with

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-5424711603215100282007-04-07T17:57:00.000-05:002007-04-24T20:53:28.255-05:00

We spent Saturday night with our good friends and neighbors Cara and Sam from unit 208 at the Warehouse. Ahhh, the Warehouse! Lots of great memories....They surprised us with a bottle of champagne and some gadgets for our trip. We had a great time enjoying each others company and reminiscing about how great the past two years have been getting to know each other. Most importantly we played one

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-37640668478136900582007-04-06T17:09:00.000-05:002007-04-24T20:52:40.408-05:00

On Friday, April 6th at 4pm, we went to the Dekalb County Courthouse and got married. After five years of an already great adventure together we formalized our partnership as we prepared for another new adventure. We both said our "I Do's" in front of a group of like minded Atlantonians. After the ceremony our good friends John and Dianna met us with arms open wide as we walked out of the

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-84322679796040897362007-03-18T08:42:00.000-05:002007-04-10T15:39:18.086-05:00

We spent two hours at the DeKalb County Board of Health, getting the first round of vaccinations for our trip. We were shot full of Typhoid, Hep A/B, MMR, Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis), and Polio. Sore arms and all we were happy to walk as far away as possible from nurse Becky and her army of needles. We will return again in a few weeks to finish the regimen (only one shot next time). The

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290954371022526737.post-43415243688111566342007-02-27T20:35:00.000-05:002007-04-10T15:30:20.549-05:00

Tickets have been purchased!!! We are now six weeks away from the start of our big trip. The post-it notes "to-do list" on our apartment wall has been wittled down little by little as we prepare for our April 15th move out and departure date to New Mexico. We are going to post updates and pictures from our travels on this blog and welcome anyone to drop us a line (or visit on the trip!)

MPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725000517194103996noreply@blogger.com1