Rees Family blog - we love to travel.

Happy Birthday Jack !

2010-12-09T07:53:00.002-05:00

5 already ? Dude, you're getting old.

We miss you. Happy Birthday from john helen james and maisie xxxx

silly

2010-07-22T11:10:00.000-04:00

1500 acres, 4 big beaches, and 6 guests including the 4 of us ! This is silly, but wonderful.

chicago

2010-07-20T10:22:00.000-04:00

Pic in Millenium Park, downtown Chicago, yesterday afternoon. Cloud Gate is the sculpture in question, very cool.

Mexico the long way round

2010-07-18T20:32:00.002-04:00

Squeezing in a 6 day break to Mexico in between this summers hectic schedule of swim meets and tennis tournaments. In the usual Rees tradition of deal hunting we go via Chicago. Yes, it's the wrong direction, but it saves us so much cash over the direct flight that we get a free night in Chicago and probably all our food for the week paid for, sort of.
So expect a few pics of some tall buildings, followed by a beach, as we plan to do absolutely nothing when we finally reach Puerto Vallarta.

happy birthday bro

2010-06-28T14:06:00.000-04:00

Personalize your own free digital scrapbooking design

HHI pics

2010-06-09T15:49:00.003-04:00

Hilton Head Island

2010-06-09T14:51:00.002-04:00

We're at the beach for a week down here in South Carolina.
Weather hot and sunny, beach is beautiful. James is at a tennis camp 5 hours a day, sweating rather a lot and hopefully drinking gallons of water.
Maisie has her great friend Caroline joining us for the week, and the girls are having a blast swimming, cycling and doing the beachy things that kids just seem to love.

Jack tells a story

2010-05-03T09:56:00.003-04:00

I did have a great week long visit to England at the beginning of April. Good weather for golf and a brief trip down to Glos. to see the family was very worthwhile. I forgot I had this short video on my phone featuring Jackanory Jack and his attentive sister Maddie.

Miss you lots.

2010-05-02T18:10:00.003-04:00

It's clearly been far, far too long since an update, and to be honest I have felt uninspired since our memorable trip last year. But James had snapped me out my funk with his win this weekend in the tennis junior club championship and I guess I just love to brag a bit. So i vow to update more regularly from here on out. Some of it may be mundane but it's all part of lifes' adventure. As for the last 6 months, we have all been healthy, and have been working hard and playing hard. James continues to work on his tennis, training 4 or 5 nights a week and somehow manages to keep his grades up at school. Long may that continue. Maisie also continues to excel at school and is now swim training 3 nights a week.

Dad has finally managed to lose some weight after committing to the process for once and feels a lot better for it. Mum is happy with Dad for this. Summer holidays are only 4 weeks away for us. No big trips planned this year, but we hope to escape a couple of times with some last minute adventures somewhere in between what will be a hectic tennis tournament schedule.

Maddies' Birthday !

2010-04-30T08:12:00.000-04:00

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The Photos

2009-08-30T12:21:00.004-04:00

So here's the main album of the whole trip, finally.

Best viewing I've found is via link below to our Shutterfly page.

It will enable full screen viewing.

Click link, and then slideshow.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Elephant day photos

2009-08-30T12:17:00.003-04:00

At last. Click on link below and then slideshow to view.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Home

2009-08-22T14:10:00.001-04:00

It's taken a few days to get the bodyclocks back in line, but we're home, safe and sound.
Give me a few days and I will finally post a load of photos and maybe even a video.
Sad it's over, it was a beautiful and memorable trip for us all.

Homeward bound

2009-08-16T23:11:00.003-04:00

So we've started the long journey home, and again, we're going in opposite directions.
James and I fly to Frankfurt today (we're in a Star Alliance lounge at HK airport right now), and then Fft to NYC and on to Charlotte tomorrow. Maisie and Helen have a full day in Kowloon today, but then attempt the longest day ever tomorrow as they fly HK to Tokyo to LAX to CLT. I don't think Maisie can understand how the time works and she is very confused that their flight from LA leaves at 1.30PM on 18th. which is 4 hours before their 5.30PM flight leaves Tokyo for LA also on the 18th.

I've never felt so sad at the end of a trip before. I really could go on like this for ages, but my real world beckons. It's been a magical time for us as a family and we will have to repeat the idea, maybe on another continent in a few years time.

KL

2009-08-15T02:35:00.002-04:00

Loving Kuala Lumpur. Have to admit I did not do my homework on this place. It was sort of tagged on to our itinerary as a means of getting back to Hong Kong cheaply. Air Asia one way $49 !
I didn't know there was such a Muslim influence (60% of country) and the food now leans more towards India. This place is modern, the infastructure seems phenomenal, and it feels like the West has met the Muslim world and all is well with the universe. If only it were that simple.

KL city center is phenomenal. There is a monorail running around an inner loop, there is a 2 1/2 mile underground tunnel that skips you from the outskirts right into city center (no exits on the way), if you're heading straight for downtown. There are stunning architectural feats like this everywhere. There are parks, beautiful mosques and it seems to me, friendly polite people. So a pleasant surprise and an interesting shift for all of us, not as subtle a change as we thought from leaving Thailand.
PS. interesting time kink here. We flew for 2 hours due west from Koh Samui to KL, yet we are an hour ahead of Thai time. Tad confusing.

For Finn and Emmie

2009-08-14T20:27:00.000-04:00

A good friend of Maisie, Rose, has some cousins who are particularly taken by the Petronas Towers here in Kuala Lumpur. I can see why. This is the amazing view from our bedroom window.

Friends

2009-08-12T01:44:00.004-04:00

We had a great afternoon and evening with Dotty and family yesterday. First headache of the holiday and everyone extra lazy this morning. Wonderful to catch up, tell the same old stories, this time with the children hearing them for the first time, and just share some time together. Dotty, Nicky, Amy and George were our first visitors (apart from part-time resident oldie Reeses) to NC, and I hope they make it back again. If not we'll have to pick some other far flung destination to meet again.

Pic competition

2009-08-12T01:40:00.002-04:00

We've had some very good guesses, but noone correct.
For anyone squeamish, STOP READING NOW.

The 3 items in that bowl are used to flavour a special festival soup that is made occasionally in Laos.

I'm afraid to say they are water buffalo foetuses.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

2009-08-12T01:02:00.003-04:00

Finally had time to really relax and try to take in all we have experienced in last few weeks.
We have been blessed with great weather through our trip and considering Taiwan was originally on our list of destinations we are very grateful. Our thoughts are with those in Taiwan and SE China who have lost family, friends and homes.

We have run the whole gamut of planes, trains and automobiles during our travels. Those who know me, know I like my luxuries but also know I will not pay any price for it. Affordable luxury is what I like to call it, and with some great internet offers I found and US Airways extremely generous dividend miles program we have been very lucky. Although we have travelled in pairs to get to Hong Kong, it was really worth it for the first class flights we were able to obtain. It made such a difference to our disposition on that first (and what will be last) 24 hours of intercontinental travel.

Then we have made use of SE Asian budget airlines, such as Bangkok Air, and have only been presently surprised. We had one flight of only an hour and 15 minutes, yet they manged to serve a meal, and seating was generous. Made US Airways economy look pretty poor, which of course it is.

The train was documented separately, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Just to see the variety of people, and look out the window to see rice fields floating by was a joy, and my bed, once converted was equivalent to a full lie flat sleeper bed on any top first class airline.

But the most interesting times have been in the multitude of taxi rides or tuktuks we have taken, and I think you can get a good quick impression of a country from your local cabbie. In Seoul they were all business, not a word spoken, and no sign of road rage, on streets that would have driven me insane. Hong Kong was friendlier, and on our last trip our man persuaded us to ride with him all the way to the airport rather than catch the express train. I was dubious of his claims that we,d get their faster and cheaper, but he was extra smiley and keen to practise his limited English so we went with it. We were there in 25 minutes and at half the cost of what we,d paid to get into town in the first place.
In Bangkok, you immediately sense a desperation amid taxis and tuktuks (3 wheeled scooter taxis that seat 3) for your business. As a group we didn't fit in one tuktuk so avoided them, but we were constantly plagued by offers of rides, tours, and "come and see my friend, he has beautiful jewels." We even saw tourists getting out of a tuktuk, only to be immediately besieged by other tuktuk drivers wanting to take them somewhere else.
We did have the most disturbing ride in Bangkok as our driver looked like he was trying to excavate his entire nasal passages for the whole 30 minute ride. I still have neck ache as I had to look out the window on my left for the entire trip. Bangkok also gave us our funniest ride, as we ended up with an Elvis fan to take us to the airport on our way to Laos. An Elvis fan who was also a part-time magician, and proceeded to perform tricks and hum along to Elvis for most of the journey. At one point however, we came across a recent accident which didn't look too serious. Elvis immediately pulled over onto the hard shoulder, turned the engine off for 30 seconds, said a small prayer, and then continued - strangely moving.
Laos gave us our most basic and fun transport. No cars as we'd call them. At the airport there were extra large tuktuks, sort of scooter trucks with just a tarpaulin for a roof. Luggage and people all pile on together. The spray from the rain shower as we came into town was very refreshing.
Chiang Mai was very well organised and our initial guest house provided us with a Thai mobile phone with a speed dial for the taxi service with which they had agreed rates. Apparently meter taxis in Chiang Mai don't know how to use the meter and tourists are commonly ripped off.
However how could we fail to be happy with our driver, Mr. Puu. You can only smile when being driven by a man called Puu. His was the only taxi I have ever seen with a guestbook to sign, and some had written full pages in there. Good English and a sense of humour made Mr. Puu our friend.

We're not taking a taxi anywhere in Koh Samui and continue to chill, before Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Pics at last ?

2009-08-10T05:14:00.003-04:00

Hotel in Koh Samui has a Mac, this just might work.....

Pic 1 of our trip up the Mekong River.
2 is of Luang Prabang from the top of Mount Phousi.
3rd picture there is a prize (1000 Lao kip) for anyone that can guess what it is (email me). Clue - it was in the Luang Prabang food market.
Then there is a pic from our Lao cookery class and finally Helen (upside down) and I abseiling 150ft down in the Chiang Mai rainforest. It's strange how our fears work. Helen could do this upside down with a broad grin on her face, whereas I was petrified. This was completely reversed on our elephant trek, as I somehow felt balanced and trusted my beast even over some terrain that a human alone could barely negotiate. I now believe Hannibal really did cross some big old mountains by elephant.

We now plan on 4 days of doing absolutely nothing. We have managed the odd 1/2 day here and there of relaxation, jumping in a pool or just reading, but have basically been very active for 3 weeks, and so this is our down time. We seem to have a picked a good and very quiet hotel so it's going to be bliss. Tomorrow we're hopefully meeting up with Dotty and family, an old friend from my City of London days who just happens to be in Samui at the same time. Drinks and dinner here at the hotel and lots of catching up to do.

We've seen some great sights, eaten some fantastic food, stayed in some wonderful hotels, but it is the people you meet that seal the deal on really enjoying travel. Whether that be old friends or new encounters, only sharing time with the people of the world can bring you the real depth of contentment I personally get from travel.

clicking away time

2009-08-10T05:00:00.002-04:00

Tappy tap tapping their time away at Bangkok airport before taxi to Hualamphong station for the overnight train.

Elephant pic

2009-08-10T04:49:00.001-04:00

too many to chose from, just 1 for now.

Elephant Day

2009-08-10T04:09:00.004-04:00

James - My elephant was named Laki, a 7 year old female. Rain was awful and we all got drenched. When my elephant was in the river she got really low and I fell off and had to swim. It was very itchy riding and I felt unstable most of the day. When she kissed me at the end of the day with her trunk it felt like a vacuum cleaner. A great day, and the best shower of the holiday when we got back to the hotel.
Maisie - I had Buchan, a 7 year old male, who was luckily very well behaved. I washed him and bathed him in a river and he did the same to me. I was very confident riding him, unlike James. After lunch we had the choice of bathing our elephant again or letting the guides do it, and I was the only one that decided to do it. I fell in like James and got soaked for the third time. The elephants tongue was huge and when I fed Buchan my hand was sucked really hard. At the end Buchan gave me a kiss and I gave him some extra bananas as a thank you.
Helen- I was petrified all day- i could not believe the paths we went on through the forest> My elephant was 14 months pregnant(20 month gestation) and she was very wide. She kept getting stuck when we turned on a 3 foot wide path around trees which was really scary whilst we were going up or down hill- the paths were thick squelchy mud which got worse as the rain persisted.
it seemed a long way up when all you had to hang on to was your feet hooked under the ears. the last part of the trek we did with legs forward dangling over the elephants head and holding on to its ears! still we made it and i was amazed how docile they are and how sure footed even in the slippery, winding conditions we had. they loved the bathing and swimming in the river and of course the food we gave them- bananas,tamarind,sugar cane.
John - this was a hard day out, and I,m glad we did it, as i think we got a pretty true picture of caring for an elephant within a positive breeding programme. I now have a nasty rash on my right lower shin from where it rubbed on the elephants neck whilst trekking. It really is very coarse hair that covers a lot of the elephants skin. We have a lot of good pics from the day, most will be shared when we return home.

Our long journey from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui was actually fun, and only Helen was really tired when we arrived as she struggled to sleep on the train. I actually found it very relaxing and the kids loved the experience, the only drawback really being the bus ride from Surat Thani station to Donsak ferry pier which was supposed to take 45 mins but ended up taking 2 hours in a bus that seemed to refuse to go over 30mph. Maybe it would have blown up if we'd hit 31.

elephants

2009-08-08T01:27:00.001-04:00

Amazing experience yesterday. I have always been wary of shows etc. with animals. I don't enjoy the circus at all and even the Sea World shows make me slightly uneasy. So i did a lot of research beofre choosing a Thai elephant experience and there are a lot to choose from here in Chiang Mai.
Pat and Dao at Patara Elephant farm offer something very different. Basically we each had our own elephant to care for the entire day. That included multiple feeds, washing, health inspection, including poo forensics,and some treks. Haven't got time now to elaborate but i will get James and Maisie to detail the day when we get to Koh Samui tomorrow.
We're about to start a long day of travelling. Flight to Bangkok and then the overnight train to Surat Thani followed by a ferry. Excitement and trepidation for this leg, but real relaxation and the only beach of our trip await.

Fern paradise 2

2009-08-08T00:13:00.000-04:00

Fern paradise

2009-08-08T00:09:00.000-04:00

Chiang Mai

2009-08-06T06:35:00.002-04:00

No wifi for our first few days in Chiang Mai which were spent at a guest house. Basic accomodation but stunning grounds where the owner has cultivated a fern paradise with over 300 varieties. Almost a lifetimes work has gone onto creating the garden and the 9 guest cottages it now contains and the whole family run the business and live on site.
We are now indulging in a bit of luxury at the Mandarin Oriental and are recharging ahead of a day with the elephants tomorrow and our overnight train journey the following day.

Ziplining yesterday was fantastic. For me, it wasn't so much the exhilaration of the rides, but the amazing setting. We were for most of the time 300 ft high in a mountain rainforest, and so had views over the whole canopy. I'm the only one in the family who has admitted to being scared. Ziplining was great but abseiling had me worried. My daughter however managed it upside down !

I'll try to get a few pics online here but they won't be the best ones from our main camera, just snaps from the phone. More later hopefully.

some pics

2009-08-06T06:34:00.002-04:00

backtracking a bit but the wonderful guides we used for our daytrip out of bangkok have posted our groups pics to the web. Worth seeing here http://www.absoluteexplorer.com/share/dailypic.php?year=2009&month=7&day=30

Mekong/Luang Prabang

2009-08-03T09:33:00.001-04:00

Memorable journey up the Mekong yesterday. It's not so much beautiful. Striking not stunning. But there is a mystical quality as you pass local fishermen or a whisky (lao lao) making village. Think it all stems from the Buddhist calm that permeates everywhere here. Luang Prabang itself has 43 working Wats (temples) and you cannot get through a day here without hearing the monks chanting rhythmically. It just seems to drift at you from all directions, and is remarkably soothing.

Our cookery course today was 15 minutes out of town and was enjoyed by all, with the children adapting particularly well to the different challenges and tastes. The main market we visited first was far calmer than those seen in Bangkok, but was probably doing more business. Most Luang locals shop at the market 3 times a day as they do not store food at home and everything must be fresh.

Bargain of the trip so far, a huge bag of smelly laundry, washed and returned the same day, cost 1 US dollar. So you have costs that low (average annual wage here is $400) and yet internet and wifi has been available in every bar and restaurant we've been to. Some interesting contrasts to say the least.

Tomorrow before we leave for Chiang mai we are going to practice some responsible tourism. We came across a place that encourages tourists to spend an hour or 2 with Lao adults and children who are learning English to help them practise their language skills. I thought the Thais were friendly until I met the people of Laos. Quite beguiling experience here.

Sorry the photos have gone missing again. I've adjusted my camera settings to take high quality pics now rather than the blog quality posted so far, and the file size has been too much for my phone to handle so far. I'm hoping to get a load up when we reach our next big hotel and find a business center.

Luang Prabang

2009-08-02T02:28:00.000-04:00

Wow, a complete change of pace here and very welcome too. We're in Laos' second city, which is actually a pretty small town at the confluence of the Mekong and Namkhan rivers. Palm trees, hills not quite mountains and a sort of French colonial style and vibe to the place. Culinary heaven. We've already had the best beer snacks ever, which included river weed and some crispy dried mushrooms. This cafe so impressed us that we have all booked for a Lao cookery class on Monday which will include a tour of the main food market. Dad is happy. Tomorrow on Helen's birthday we will take a slow boat up the Mekong to the Pak Ou caves which contains hundreds of mini Buddhist shrines. It's monsoon season here and we started exploring in a downpour this afternoon, but I don't thinlk it can spoil our enjoyment of this place.

PS. Large beer $1, most $ain courses $3 it feels like a time warp.

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train

2009-08-01T00:13:00.009-04:00

At school

2009-08-01T00:13:00.007-04:00

Thai school

2009-08-01T00:13:00.005-04:00

Coconuts and rice field

2009-08-01T00:13:00.003-04:00

Wat Pho

2009-08-01T00:13:00.001-04:00

Bangkok food market

2009-07-31T23:54:00.000-04:00

Chi lin nunnery

2009-07-31T23:51:00.003-04:00

HK from Peak

2009-07-31T23:51:00.001-04:00

Bangkok - 2

2009-07-31T05:50:00.003-04:00

48 hours in bangkok and I could write pages, though I will try to spare you.
I am heavily in the minority but this is my favourite city so far. Absolute nonstop action on the streets and despite the horrendous traffic and fumes, the other aromas of incense and food overtakes it all. Street food is everywhere, hundreds upon hundreds of tiny stalls or 2 or 3 table cafes producing all manner of goodies, from noodles to soups to satay to fish tacos, the variety is as amazing as the quality. Maybe all food looks good to me, but most of what I have seen looks appetising. Our wonderful day excursion yesterday into the country an hour by train east of Bangkok allowed us to experience the street food without the chaos. There were vendors on the train walking up and down with their various baskets and we tried green mango, sticky rice with almonds and banana wrapped in banana leaf, and a coconut and sugar concoction which was particularly tasty. All these dishes average maybe 20 baht or 60 US cents each, and our guides told us that Thai people work so hard that they all use the street vendors regularly and that city people do not cook anywhere near as much as those in the country.

Our 2 guides yesterday, Min and Penida were excellent. We toured the countryside on bikes with 2 Canadians and 2 Romanians, no tourist traps anywhere, just the real thing. Rice fields everywhere with the odd shrimp farm thrown in for good measure, and all manner of other good stuff just growing freely on the roadsides.

Unfortunately The Grand Palace in Bangkok does not want to see the Reeses. We tried on our first day and arrived at 3.30pm just as it was closing (my fault), then tried again today at 11.30am only to be told it was closing for 2 hours of private prayer(no way of knowing this as it,s a random event). Anyway, at least we learnt to use the fun water taxi service without getting gouged. After initially going to the wrong pier we were offered a boat for the 5 minute trip up river for 1500 baht (45 dollars). Luckily turned this down and managed to find the public pier where the taxi cost just 44 baht for all of us.

What wat.
A wat is a Buddhist temple and they are almost on every street corner here, just like churches in NC but just beautifully decorated. We decided to plump for the biggest, and so saw Wat Pho on Wednesday. This is the reclining golden Buddha and is enormous. The toenail on the pinky toe of this Buddha was the size of Maisie,s head, to give you an idea of the scale.

Today, after the second Grand Palace misfire, we decided to relax. Head and shoulder massage for Dad, pedicure for the girls. James gets nothing, as he does not have the sore bum that the rest of us have after our cycling yesterday.

Laos tomorrow and hopefully some pictures.

bangkok update

2009-07-31T01:38:00.003-04:00

James - we have a great view from our hotel over the river. It's a dirty city and pollution is bad and we've found the river taxi is best way to get around. Yesterday we went to the countryside on a local train and I got to ride on the back of a motorcycle (with no helmet !) because I am terrible on a bicycle. We visited a school and I made a paper airplane for the boys in the class. I'd had a lot of practice at this at school - thank you Mrs. Carbone. They loved it and gave me 2 origami paper boats in return. Lunch was very very good at a hut in the middle of rice fields. We ate local rice, fried chicken, and soup. I put chilli sauce in my rice and it blew my head off, so the lady at the hut gave me some salt to suck on.

Maisie - The bike ride yesterday was fantastic and I rode up front all day long in our group of 8.
We probably rode 3 or 4 miles over narrow bridges and gravel roads and paths through rice fields and shrimp farms. At the school we stopped at all the girls had to have their hair cut just under their ears and the boys had shaved heads. They were quite shy but when we started playing hangman they got excited. We had to take our shoes off to get in the classroom and whenever we entered someones home.

Helen - i am amazed at how well the kids did yesterday. we were in the heat all day and some very hard biking terrain but no complaints from either one. loved seeing all the herbs and fruits growing in the wild- lemongrass, sweet basil, tamarind, kaffir lime leaves, papayas, bananas, coconuts, eggplants and of course the rice. we stopped to try them all and some even climbed a tree to cut their own coconut. the school was great for our kids- they were all 11 years old and we showed them on a globe where we were all from- England, Romania, Canada in our party of 8. there were 250 kids in the school and about 30 in a class. no computers in sight but they knew basic english. great day out.

last HK thoughts

2009-07-29T01:27:00.002-04:00

James and I saw at least 50 Man Utd. shirts yesterday worn by the locals and not a gooner in sight. Not good.

Health - every public building and park and some private are disinfecting anything that is touched by the public every 2 hours. Tables, door handles, you name it - amazing precautions.
I've been washing my hands a lot more than usual, so it seems to be catching (get it ?).

Traffic free flowing compared with Seoul, got to airport in 25 mins.

Bangkok

2009-07-29T01:11:00.002-04:00

Long day yesterday and didn't arrive at Bangkok hotel until nearly 1am.
It was quick but we really enjoyed Hong Kong. Having survived unscathed Monday evening a restaurant which had dog on the menu, something even I wouldn't attempt to eat, James managed to eat dim sum/dumplings for breakfast lunch and dinner. He's found his niche there.

We did the touristy thing in the morning and went up the Paek via Star ferry and the Peak tram. All good fun, but in the afternoon we took pot luck and went to a much less well known attraction. This was Chi Lin Nunnery and the attached Nia Lan garden. Remarkably this turned into just about everyones favorite excursion so far. Stunning gardens somehow provide real tranquility at this place which is hidden right in the middle of multi-lane highways and tower blocks. Wifi not happening here in Bangkok so pictures of this as soon as I can (might be a while).

Going to take it easy today, and the kids are in the hotel pool as I write this from the business center. Maybe one temple later and then our first Thai meal for dinner which should please everyone as it's our favourite cuisine. Tomorrow we have an excursion into the Thai countryside via train and bikes. if James and I remember how to ride it should be fun.

HK at night

2009-07-27T19:56:00.000-04:00

Worst scheduling of trip give us just the 1 night in HK but we're making the most of it. City remains just a bit smelly, but vibrant and exciting. Seems to be less westerners here than I remember. Bangkok next.

View from maisie's bed in HK

2009-07-27T07:54:00.000-04:00

Hong Kong

2009-07-27T02:30:00.000-04:00

Maisie - i slept the whole journey here today. View from our hotel room is fantastic of HK harbour. My finger nails are still stained from the flower petals and my stomach is trying to recover from the Korean experience.
Helen - taxis are red, drive on the left. Awesome view, more skyscrapers since last visit. Bit cloudy, hoping for clear day tomorrow for the peak.
James - we play a game in our hotel room where one person looks for a name on a building, and the other then has to search for it. My mum says my eyes are not good and I need a test when home.
John - just happy with the smooth travel so far. HK clearly worried by the flu, lots of face masks at the airport. As you can see below, wifi working much better here, and some Seoul pics have been posted.

Tomb of King Jungjong

2009-07-27T02:06:00.000-04:00

manicure

2009-07-27T02:03:00.000-04:00

Flower petals crushed up and applied to color nails.

Fast food court korean style

2009-07-27T02:01:00.000-04:00

Korean folk village

2009-07-27T01:59:00.000-04:00

A form of torture for wrondoers in 16th century Korea. James deserved it.

Korean tea house

2009-07-27T01:57:00.000-04:00

Changdeokgung Palace

2009-07-27T01:55:00.001-04:00

Palace gardens

2009-07-27T01:55:00.000-04:00

Korean BBQ

2009-07-27T01:33:00.000-04:00

Indoor golf

2009-07-27T01:32:00.000-04:00

Seoul wrap up

2009-07-26T20:31:00.003-04:00

At Seoul airport and have just had bum cleaned and dried by a fantastic toilet. You need to know, folks.
Yesterday was best day here, a relaxed walk where we stumbled upon a park with some dramatic tombs of 2 Kings and a Queen from 1500s. A great Korean BBQ lunch which involved maybe 30 different small dishes followed this, and then whilst the girls shopped, James and I took on Dan and Justin for 9 holes golf at St Andrews ! The latest Korean hit are these indoor golf ranges that provide hitech screens which mean you can swing any club (they provide you with a full set) and it accurately projects your shot on the screen. You do actually smack the ball. Even putting works well. The English just defeated the Koreans in a close match. Many many thanks to Jennifer, Serena and their extended family of brother, sister in law, cousins and all, for being such great guides and hosts these last few days. We have seen far more of Seoul than we would otherwise have managed and think that in just a short time we have got a good feel for the country which is one of our main hopes for this trip.

Kim Chi

2009-07-25T21:15:00.003-04:00

It's been very hard to spot an overweight Korean, let alone an obese one. Our cab driver yesterday insists this is down to Kim Chi. It has many variants but is basically a pretty spicy garlic pickled cabbage. It just may be the most popular of all national dishes, as Koreans eat it at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most households still make it themselves in huge earthenware pots and they also have separate refrigerators just for Kim Chi.
Combined with their love for Ginseng ($180 for 3 month supply), so a bit like a daily Starbucks coffee, Koreans apparently have a healthy disposition and a very strong immune system. Korea was the only SE Asian country not to have a SARS related death. I think they're onto something.

Seoul interesting fact from James - US army base right in middle of city, all fenced off, with 30,000 stationed here.

PS. still no photos, but hopeful for next venue.

Seoul, good and bad

2009-07-25T21:05:00.002-04:00

The good - very clean city, people clearly have passion for their traditions, both with their history and their food. You can sense the respect youth has for elders. I like this a lot, maybe because I am getting old.

The bad - I have to say it seems Koreans have caught the US consumers spend til you drop plan. I've never seen a department store as busy as the 9 floor Hyundai store we were in yesterday afternoon, and I've worked in harrods during the sale. 10 million people live in Seoul, that's 1/5 of the entire country and it seems they all like to drive their cars at the same time. Pretty much gridlock on the streets for our entire stay and that includes the weekend.

Seoul

2009-07-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

James - on our plane ride over here we used Lufthansa, a German airline. We were really lucky and were the only passengers in first class on our first flight. It's a 13 hour time difference in Seoul to Charlotte and I am very tired. We saw Changdeokgung Palace yesterday as well as The Blue House where the president lives.

Maisie - I loved the plane ride over here. We were in first class and they treated us like princesses. Seoul is different because the food is really strange. I nearly threw up yesterday watching daddy eat whole anchovies ! I bought a lovely decorated fan in a market and I feel a lot better than I did yesterday after a long sleep.

Helen - all worked well so far. Met up with jennifer and we are going to a Korean Folk village today, and a concert tonight. Trying to get used to the many different types of kim chi.

John - no photos yet as can't get wifi on phones working. I will persevere. feel better today, after yesterday was a bit of a blur. 13 hours time diff really turns your day upside down. great hotel apart from wifi, and we still packed a lot into yesterday despite the jetlag.

ready

2009-07-22T16:09:00.000-04:00

At airport. Initial flights look to be on time. Packing didn't bring the expected trauma and we actually seem to have a lot of stuff considering it's all carry-on. We split up in 30 mins. as James and I leave 2 hours before the girls. See you in Korea.

Sportscenter

2009-07-19T14:39:00.002-04:00

Just watched Watson come this close to pulling it off in the British Open. He's made me feel a good few years younger, so thanks Tom. But of course the real action of the weekend was in Cary, NC and Huntersville, NC. James' last tennis of the summer saw the Point U12 team come in 3rd at the State Finals. He had to play 7 matches in 2 days so looks pretty done for today. Flopping in front of the golf was a great option. Meanwhile Maisie swam great in her end of season meet. Her team won the relay, she was 5th. in the freestyle and a fantastic 2nd in the breaststoke. This was in the 9+10 year olds age bracket and I think anyone who beat her was 10, so she is looking good for next year and has decided to drop soccer from her schedule to train at MAC, a really good local swimming club.

Now we need to pack for our trip which starts wednesday, and I fully expect a difficult time, as my rule about only taking what you can carry in a backpack hits home.

SE Asia itinerary

2009-07-09T17:29:00.002-04:00

Just under 2 weeks to go and I thought I'd put up our itinerary. All getting rather excited.
As is usual in the Rees family we like to complicate matters and on this trip we have accomplished that by flying in 2 groups of 2 to our first destination, Seoul, and repeating the process on our way home. Please don't ask me to explain.

So -
July 22nd. Helen and Maisie fly Charlotte-Chicago-Seoul and arrive at 5.0am on 24th. John and James fly Charlotte-Munich-Seoul and(hopefully) arrive at 5.30am on 24th. 3 nights.
July 27th. fly to Hong Kong (all together woohoo). 1 night.
July 28th. fly to Bangkok. 4 nights.
August 1st. fly to Luang Prabang (Laos). 3 nights.
August 4th. fly to Chiang Mai (Thailand). 4 nights.
August 8th. fly to Bangkok, then train overnight to Surat Thani, then ferry to Koh Samui. 5 nights.
August 14th. fly to Kuala Lumpur. 2 nights.
August 16th. fly back to Hong Kong. At this point Helen and Maisie get lucky and have 2 more nights in Hong Kong and then fly back on 18th. HK-Tokyo-LA-Charlotte. Whereas John and James have 1 night at airport hotel then fly HK-Frankfurt, followed by another night in airport hotel before Frankfurt-NY-Charlotte. Somehow we should land within 20 minutes of each other at home in Charlotte. We'll see.

Triathlon

2009-06-28T11:35:00.002-04:00

Maisie clearly enjoying her most recent triathlon in which she finished 5th. in her age group. Our neighbour and Maisie's great friend Hope is just behind her. Unfortunately, Maisie will miss the last race of the season as we'll be on our Asian trip, but I think she'll try again next year !

Human

2009-06-19T10:58:00.005-04:00

Sorry no pics from Nashville, but we had a blast. Maisie loved every second of the concert and James really got into Coldplay as he gradually managed to remove his hands from his ears. The first band were really loud and not very good, so this had got him worried. Snow Patrol were excellent but too brief, and then Coldplay were magnificent, best yet, and we've seen them more than most I would guess. Don't think we managed to get into the Nashville country vibe, so the city disappointed us slightly, but we had a memorable and fun weekend.

For June's tune of the month we have a special version of The Killers' Human. He is not going to thank me for this, but enjoy...

Roadies

2009-06-05T13:30:00.002-04:00

From the "you only live once" book of plays, we are all off on a road trip tonight heading for Nashville, Tennessee. Dad is dragging everybody to see 2 of his favourite bands play together Saturday night. Coldplay and Snow Patrol. Yep, both of them in one night. Bit excited to say the least. Helen and Maisie almost share my excitement, James is slightly less enthused even though he definitely likes the music. Maisie is an experienced concert goer and could probably take any noise level you throw at her after Hannah Montana but this will be James first gig.
So a stop in Knoxville tonight, then on to Nashville for some ribs and a concert, and a long drive home Sunday. Will post some pics if possible.

Father daughter dance

2009-05-20T14:36:00.000-04:00

They danced the night away at the school father daughter dance but Maisie had to choose her dads clothes for him!

James wins literature award

2009-05-20T14:32:00.001-04:00

James is a North Carolina semi-finalist in the Letters about Literature national competition. The national winners were chosen from 54,000 entries. From the 1582 North Carolina entries, 151 were selected as semi-finalists. James wrote a letter to Lois Lowry about how he was inspired by the book 'Number the Stars'. He even has his picture in the local newspaper!

James wins Greensboro tennis tournament

2009-05-20T14:25:00.000-04:00

His first tournament in the 12's category and he wins two nailbiting tiebreaks to win the boys 12's singles title.

Song of the Month

2009-05-09T22:13:00.001-04:00

Snow Patrols latest single and my favourite from last album.
No video, but song is so good it doesn't need one.

weekend update

2009-04-27T11:53:00.001-04:00

Hot and busy. James played 10 tennis matches in 3 days over the weekend and won most of them. Picture is of him and his doubles partner, Michael, after winning the junior doubles club championship. he was knocked out in the semis of the singles. 90 degrees this weekend so it was hard work and I don't know how he did it. His Dad played just 1 match on Saturday and it nearly killed him !

Not to be outdone in the endurance stakes, Maisie completed her first kids triathlon on Saturday evening and after a week of being pretty ill with a cold did fantastically to finish 8th in her age group, although I think she was 2nd out of the 9 year old girls.

I'd also like to thank her for showing real interest in dancing with her Dad at the annual Father/Daughter school dance. Anyone who has seen me dance knows what an effort she must have put in. I wonder how many more years that will last.

The game

2009-04-21T22:37:00.003-04:00

Now, much as I have come to love a lot of US sport, and indeed there are not many sports I don't enjoy watching, only football (soccer) can do this. It does involve my team of course, but that's irrelevant. Enjoy.
Anfield, April 21st. 2009 and it sounds even better in a foreign language...

Bit tired...

2009-04-19T22:12:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Mum for Friday, don't worry I won't tell anyone you're 70. Oops.
Busy weekend stateside. Saw Demi Lovato friday night with my daughter. Who, you all ask ?
Well just check with any 8-14 year old girl on the planet. She can sure sing, and play the piano, oh and the guitar. Yikes. We enjoyed it.
Couldn't see James play soccer on Saturday as I was preparing a Thai dinner for 12 for Lisa's 40th. Yes, everybody gets aged and shamed here. Happy Birthday Lisa, I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did in preparing it. Somewhat therapeutic cooking is to me. Anyway, James decided to score his first goal in about 3 years and he even did a stint as goalkeeper in the second half and came home sounding like Gordon Banks would have been proud. He must have been busy, they lost 7 - 1.
Soccer dad did strike early Sunday though as Maisie had her final tournament game at 8am in a place not far from Florida it felt like. Really early start. 3 losses for her team over the weekend but they all still seemed to be smiling. I'd like to observe that the boys teams I've seen play would not be so resilient. School golf day tomorrow, and I haven't played for 6 weeks so anything could happen. If I win the $1 million for a hole in one, don't expect me to post for a while.

learning the ways of the blog...

2009-04-14T14:52:00.003-04:00

OK, better format now if you want to see our photos.
Just click on a picture from the slideshow above if you'd like to view in fullscreen. New page will open and then just click on slideshow again and away you go.

Videos from trip.

2009-04-14T13:09:00.005-04:00

A couple of short videos from our trip.

This is about as enthused as our 2 can get !

Second clip has Maisie just after she was soaked.

Grand Canyon

2009-04-12T14:11:00.000-04:00

Sorry, no pics or videos yet. Cameras were safely tucked away in the pocket of my Alpine Lowe Arctic wear 100% waterproof guaranteed for eternity NASA Goretex ultralight super jacket. Counts for nothing when the idiot wearing it leaves the zipper open through some grade 7 Colorado river rapids. Hair dryer this morning hasn,t brought them back to life. I,ll see what can be rescued when we get home. Kids camera made it intact and we,ll at least have a few of Maisie,s pics to look at.
Canyon was of course spectacular andeven James seem impressed as we hiked along the rim on Friday afternoon. Saturday was something else, a rollercoaster of a day. Pouring rain to start for bus ride down the only dirt road that can get you to the Colorado river. Sun comes out as we start rafting trip. First few rapids fun, then a grade 7 and a massive wall of ice cold water slams us all. James can,t hold on but luckily is pushed straight back, rather than to the side. Maisie says bring on the 10, James doesn,t look so sure. Helen is still smiling. I,m happy until i realize there,s a liter of water in the same pocket as the cameras. Stop for a hike and climb to a waterfall in a side canyon is exciting and beautiful. Weather turns and the cruise after the last of the rapids still has to cover 27 miles. Even in our full rainsuits, the cold water has got in, and combined with the now freezing rain, we suffer. This doesn,t compare with some of the fools in a couple of the other rafts though. Dressed in jeans and a flimsy poncho they are turning blue. Just before the frostbite hits we land at the heli pad site. Weather is thankfully just good enough to enable us to get the helicopter ride up to the rim and this lifts the spirits immeasureably. Helen doesn,t have time to get nervous as we jump in and take off immediately. James has the biggest beam of the day as he sits next to the pilot. Best tasting hot chocolate ever before bus back to where we started. Quick change into dry clothes and we,re off again back to vegas. Maisie snores most of the way.

Route 66

2009-04-10T16:33:00.000-04:00

Maisie says vegas was a lot more grown up than she thought it would be, "if you know what I mean." we are now travelling to the Grand Canyon and she hopes noone falls in. James thinks there were a lot of slot machines and the hotels were enoromous, "but I didn,t get lost." the kids enjoyed the Mac King comedy magic show, and Ka was great. So we,ve,just driven 4 hours from vegas and have stopped for lunch at a route 66 diner. We got lucky, ribs are magic ! About an hour left to south rim of GC and we hope to make a short hike there this afternoon. More later. John.

Vegas baby...

2009-04-06T10:47:00.003-04:00

Off on Wednesday, Grand Canyon beckons on Friday and Saturday, weather forecast chilly, shouldn't matter. Mini experiment for our summer Asian trip as we try to travel with just backpacks. I think this is most problematic for Helen, but she's willing. Happy birthday Dad for Wednesday, card and present will be late as usual. Found my April music track already, heard it on Radio 1 on Friday (got to love sirius), and it's a happy feely trance effort, enjoy...

J5 music

2009-03-31T20:45:00.003-04:00

I love my music so much I think I'll share a current favourite once a month with anyone who'll listen/watch.

Unwritten

2009-03-31T19:53:00.004-04:00

Maisie wanted to test the blog and her dancing skills. Brace yourselves.

My favourite instrument

2009-03-31T13:10:00.004-04:00

Hopefully, a video of maisie playing the recorder can be found here now. Trying to persuade her not to bring it on our imminent trip to Vegas and the Grand Canyon. We are aiming to post some pics as we go, so come back at the end of next week !