Cyryl, Valmeinier, France

Maraia


Posted Nov 24, 2009, 10:42 pm
Hi! I'm Cyryl, little naughty lion from Poland. Now I'm making preparations to my first journey and I'm still searching for hosts. So I'm waiting for invitations :D Don't worry, i won't eat you... yet! :cyclops:
Maraia


Posted Dec 2, 2009, 5:29 pm
What for the god sake, I am doing in the middle of the desert... Expect the unexpected. Predatory Urge is growing inside of me... Let's begin the hunt. What's next...? GERMANY!! I'M COMING!
olgamaus


Posted Dec 4, 2009, 2:24 pm
Hi Mummy,
I arrived in Germany today. That was a really fast trip  :D

I am not the only ToyVoyager here, there are already Murph, Wieka and  Nala.

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We will go to a birthday party now, see you soon!

Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Dec 4, 2009, 10:40 pm
Hi Mummy,


we went to town in the afternoon. We saw a special truck here, have a look!

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Later, when we had dinner in a restaurant, we played a bit with the christmas decoration.

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Tomorrow we will join a ToyVoyagers meeting in Essen.

Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Dec 6, 2009, 2:46 pm
Hi Mummy,
we went to Essen today to join a ToyVoyager- and Postcrossing-Meeting there. Essen is  a city in the central part of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, one of 16 German states. Remscheid is also situated in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Essen was appointed European Capital of Culture for 2010 on behalf of the whole Ruhr Area. Essen is also well known for its fantastic Christmas illumination.

Eleven woman joined the meeting, ToyVoyagers was represented by Apperveilchen, BlackCat and olgamaus. We met on the Christmas market close to the central station.

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Of course we had to wait until it was getting dark to see the beauty of the Christmas Illumination. Until than we wrote lots of postcards in a restaurant.

Here you can see all the ToyVoyagers which are travelling with Katja at the moment. They are Nala, Wieka, Murph and Sweetsy, who visited Katja already this year.

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Than the TVs hosted by Apperveilchen joined us ...

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and finally those hosted by BlackCat.

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We took a walk through the city than. BlackCat showed us a carillon.

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They even have a nostalgic Ferris wheel on the Christmas market.

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We decided to take a ride on the Ferris wheel. It is 56 m high, I was a little afraid, I must admit.

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We went high and higher ...

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We had a fantastic overview across the city.

After we reached the ground safe and sound we decided to have a look at the nearby cathedral. Essen Cathedral (Essener Münster) is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Essen. The cathedral was formerly the collegiate church of Essen Abbey, founded in about 845.

First we had a look at the atrium with a graveyard.

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In the cathedral itself there was a choir practice, so we decided to take no photos to avoid disturbing the singers.

In the meantime is was getting dark outside and we were able to enjoy the Christmas illumination.

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We also saw a crib with life-sized figures and real sheep.

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Now the Ferris wheel was illuminated!

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It was time to travel home than.

Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Dec 12, 2009, 6:24 pm
Hi Mummy,

today the weather was a little bit better than the days before, at least it was not raining.

We took a walk with Katja's friend Kerstin and her dog Pepe. We went to Wuppertal, Scharpenacken, which is a former army training area. This area was used for military purposes, until 2004 A.D as a shooting range. Today there is a local recreation area with vast open areas.

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Here you can always find people with their dogs. The dogs can run here and play with each other.

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Yes, that face on the left side of the photo belongs to Pepe :D

Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Dec 12, 2009, 9:14 pm
Hi Mummy,
I am not the only predator here. I met Katja's pets today, two ferrets. Although they are not cats they are behaving like cats on drugs.

This is Shiva, she loves to play with a plush mouse which is attached to a handle-end with a rubber strap.

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The mouse managed to escape from Shiva. Now I could play with it, but .... ugh .... it is wet with Shiva's slobber!

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This is the other ferret, Brighty.

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Katja was calling than "Ferrets! It's dinner time!"

That's looking delicious, chicken wings, a leg from some small animal, chicken intestines ... yummy!

I hope that Brighty will share her dinner with me.

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Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Dec 13, 2009, 7:40 pm
Hi Mummy,
today the weather was fantastic, so we couldn't wait to go outside.

First we went to the municipal park which is only a few minutes to walk from my current home. I saw nice old houses in the vicinity.

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Katja told us that you can only take photos of this church in winter when all the leaves have fallen down.

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Soon we reached the park. Here they have a pond where ducks and turtles are living.

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An observatory is also situated here.

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This street is leading to the park, they have wonderful houses here.

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Remscheid is situated on top of a hill, about 365 m high.

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We went to the district "Hasten" than, one of the oldest districts of the city. In this Patrician villa built in late 18th century a museum is situated.

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We took a group photograph in front of this beautiful house. You can see Murph, Cilly and Wieka with me.

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The German Tool Museum is also situated in this complex.

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In this district you can find industrial buildings and dwellings close together.

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In this part of the district the old houses are built close to each other with very narrow lanes.

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Those houses are typical for this region: Covered with slate and green shutters. You can also often find half-timbered houses, also with green shutters.

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We walked downhill until we reached the bottom of the valley, where a creek is running.

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From here we had to walk all the way back uphill.

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Today I have seen that Remscheid is a nice town, when there is no rain.

Later I relaxed on the windowsill with Cilly.

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Bye
Cyryl


olgamaus


Posted Dec 19, 2009, 7:19 pm
Hi Mummy,
the bad weather has come to an end - we have snow now and it is really cold, about -15°C.

In the morning we went to the farmer's market to buy some bread rolls. On our way to the market we had a look at the pond in the municipal park.

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It looks so pretty!

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Later we went with Katja's brother-in-law to buy a Christmas tree. We did not only buy it, we even wanted to fell it by ourselves. We went to a farm where Christmas trees are sold.

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We had to drive further into a forrest. There you can fell the tree you like.

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Playing in the snow was fun!

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Katja's brother-in-law chose this tree, he was shaking it to make the snow fall off.

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He has brought a large saw with him ...

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We had to choose our  tree than. Katja did not want such a large tree. Soon we found one.

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Here our tree is packed into a net.

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We drove back to the farm than to pay for the trees. In the meantime we had a look at the farm. They also have horses here.

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They also have a booth here where they sell currywurst, wafers and hot drinks.

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When we were home again Katja took us to the attic to have a look out of the rooflight. In the background you can see the tower of the city hall and the water tower.

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It is so cold that I went in immediately.

Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Jan 4, 2010, 4:58 pm
Hi Mummy,
I'm wishing you a very happy holiday.

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Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Jan 4, 2010, 6:35 pm
Hi Mummy,
we had very bad weather again this week. Today it is also not good, but although we took a walk through the city centre.

This is the city hall with an ice skating rink in front of it. It will be removed in about two weeks.

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On the pillar you can see the heraldic animal of Remscheid, a lion.

Here you can see one of the entrances of the shopping mall.

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This is the public library.

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In this cute house a shop for flowers and decorating items was opened recently. Katja loves this shop.

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Here you can see the shopping streets with its pedestrian area. Nothing special, Katja said. It looks like pedestrian areas all over the world.

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We bought some fireworks today.

Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Jan 4, 2010, 7:07 pm
Hi Mummy,
we were invited by Katja's sister-in-law to celebrate New Year's Eve.

First we had raclette for dinner with several sorts of cheese, potatoes, other vegetables and so on. It was delicious.

Later we played a nice board game: Cluedo.

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Maybe you know this game, it is probably known all over the world: You have to find out who murded the victim, Dr. Schwarz in the German version. You also have to find out which weapon was used and in which room the offence was committed. We had a lot of fun playing this game.

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Almost midnight ...

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Happy New Year!

We went outside and enjoyed the fireworks.

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Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Jan 7, 2010, 4:02 pm
Hi Mummy,
after we broght the ferrets back to our apartment we went to work with Katja. On our way to the office she showed us some places.

This is the street where I'm living at the moment.

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This large intersection is close to my current home.

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Here you can see the main entrance of the local court. Above the door you can see the coat of arms of the German state North Rhine-Westpahlia, in a sort of abstract version.

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This is the extension of the local court, built about four or five years ago.

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This is the  mailbox in front of the local court.

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This is one of the beautiful old houses you can find here very often.

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I think I already showed you the shopping mall,

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This statue showing two giant forceps is a symbol for the tool producing industry which made Remscheid famous.

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It's time to go to work now!

Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Jan 10, 2010, 1:23 pm
Hi,
I helped Katja's daughter to cook goulash today. Not only me, but also Murph and Walter.

For cooking goulash you need beef, sweet pepper, onions and some spices.

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We were waiting for the pressure cooker to open.

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This smells delicious.

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Bye
Walter
olgamaus


Posted Jan 14, 2010, 12:10 pm
Hi Mummy,

we went to Cologne today. First we had to appompany Katja's daughter to the airport. She went on a class trip to Prague in the Czech Republic today.

Afterwards we went to the city centre. When you leave the train station the first thing you see is Cologne Cathedral.

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Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church, seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and is under the administration of the archdiocese of Cologne. The cathedral is a World Heritage Site.

Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete; a period of over 600 years. The cathedral is he largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and one of the world's largest churches. Because of its enormous twin spires, it also presents the largest façade of any church in the world. Its medieval builders had planned a grand structure to house the reliquary of the Three Kings and fit its role as a place of worship of the Holy Roman Emperor.

It is so large that you cannot take any good photo from here.

We went to the shopping streets than. Here you can see the old brewhouse of "Früh", one of many "Kölsch"-breweries here.

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Carnival season started on November, 11th. The residents of Cologne love carnival :D

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This is Neumarkt. Can you see the large ice cream cone on one of the buildings?

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This is one of the most famous buildings in the shopping street, the "whale" of Peek & Cloppenburg. You can see more of it here.

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We went to the old town than. You can find old houses here which were built in 13th century. Not all of them, of course, but the old town still has this medieval character with its narrow lanes.

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They have a lot of pubs here in the old town.

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The remains of the old town are close to the river Rhine.

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Opposite of those buildings there is the jetty of one of the excursion boats.

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We walked along the rivr bank until we reached the old harbour. Nowadays several companies settled here and you can find extraordinarily expensive appartements here.

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Two museums are also situated here on the Rhine peninsula, the Imhoff Schokoladenmuseum (Imhoff Chocolate museum) and the Deutsches Sport- and Olympia Museum (German sports- and olympics museum).

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We walked back to the city centre than.

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From here you can see more Cologne Cathedral .

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We went back to the train station and went home.

Bye
Cyryl
olgamaus


Posted Jan 14, 2010, 12:24 pm
Hi Mummy,
we took a walk today in the outlying districts of Remscheid. We saw this fantastic "snowcat".

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We walked through some rural districts.

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In the distance you can see the city centre with its two towers: the city hall and the water tower.

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Bye
Cyryl
ewahart


Posted Jan 26, 2010, 12:33 pm
Hi Mummy, how are you. I am in the UK now having fun with my new friends. One of then is a bird - can you believe it. His name is Piou-Piou. Well honestly I had almost eaten him but he was so nice that I couldn't do that. Now.... Let me take you for a trip to the New Forest - the first place I went to in the UK.
ewahart


Posted Jan 26, 2010, 12:43 pm
I arrived to Burley - the New Forest national park around 11am with a bunch of people. They took a photo artist with them who was responsible for taking pictures of mine! how does it sound for you? But because of a very long drive and a jet-lag running in my veins I was more interested in refreshments then sight-seeing. I was thirsty and hungry. I couldn't make up my mind what to drink. Water from the lake? The traditional cider or tea?
ewahart


Posted Jan 26, 2010, 12:54 pm
I went for cider. Since it was a traditional drink I wanted to try what Burley had to offer. It was nice and cold - very refreshing. I felt sprightly, frisky and ready for a big lunch. The New Forest is famous for its horses. There are hundreds of them over there so I figured out if I had one or two noone would notice - I set off hunting. Immediately after I had made my mind on my lunch cravings I saw a beautiful appetiser. A yellow bird - lovely and mouth-watering.
ewahart


Posted Jan 26, 2010, 12:56 pm
Blimey...I started thinking about life and death...and decided to make frinds with the Birdy- his name is Piou-Piou...and then more friends
ewahart


Posted Jan 26, 2010, 12:59 pm
I was heart-broken. I couldn't have eaten such a vulnerable creature. I needed lunch which would have been able to defend itself...and then I saw...
ewahart


Posted Jan 26, 2010, 1:06 pm
well...I hang out with people too much, I prefer nice meals, cooked and served...and honestly I was afraid of withes who look after the forest...locals say you don’t want to mess around with them.
ewahart


Posted Jan 26, 2010, 1:16 pm
Having spoken to withes and making sure we were still good (I sacrificed myself and speared the donkey) we went to the pub... And then I sent myself back to Bournemouth. The next step - Channel la Manche ;)
ewahart


Posted Feb 9, 2010, 7:23 pm
I always wanted to see the sea during winter and I managed. One day we went to the seafront to see pier, people, and waves...and this is what I have found.
ewahart


Posted Feb 14, 2010, 7:26 pm
but then I saw the sea
ewahart


Posted Feb 14, 2010, 7:27 pm
I made a few friends of course
ewahart


Posted Feb 14, 2010, 7:30 pm
it was a lovely day, we sunbathed, surfed, visited peoples beach houses
ewahart


Posted Feb 14, 2010, 7:33 pm
having fun with my new mates for quite a while we sat down and discussed what to do next
ewahart


Posted Feb 14, 2010, 7:34 pm
we collectively came to the conclusion that there was high time for chicks hunting
ewahart


Posted Feb 14, 2010, 7:35 pm
look what a beauty I have found
ewahart


Posted Feb 14, 2010, 8:00 pm
in the evening i took my new lady for a cup of tea, and promissed to take her to London
ewahart


Posted Feb 25, 2010, 7:21 pm
and here is my trip to London. I cought a bus at first, when I got to the city centr I decided to call all my friends to tell them how big the London eye was ... ;) see for yourself
ewahart


Posted Feb 25, 2010, 7:53 pm
then I visited the houses of parliament
ewahart


Posted Feb 25, 2010, 8:18 pm
and Embarkment
Vava


Posted Mar 14, 2010, 11:58 am
Hi you al!
I have been given to someone else, a lady who I am told is off on a fantastic adventure and has agreed to take me along. I have been waiting for it all to start but she says she is busy moving house at the moment, but I am told on the 23rd I will be travelling with her to Heathrow airport near London and we will fly together to Thailand!She will take me to Bangkok and Hua Hin, and also Samut Songkran to live with people the traditional way. After about 7 weeks, she will take me to Korea to go visit her soul sister, so I expect to visit Seoul and maybe even go up to the DMZ if the military staff let her take pictures there! If I am lucky, I might even get to complete one of my life missions, which would be to drink a coconut drink on a tropical island beach. Woop woop! I am very excited!
In the meantime, I am just staying home with her and other people, and a hell of a big cat!
Ciao u all!
Vava


Posted Apr 3, 2010, 6:41 am
OK, so first my host was being a bit lazy I have to say, but then she had problems uploading pictures as she was told "this specific file does not exist" ! Er?! I was with her and I KNOW for a fact the file existed, so she is making a last ditch attempt to do it...The pictures are too big it seems and she's not sure how to reduce them...
Before leaving the UK, my host had a few days off and went up to london. She took the opportunity to visit the Britsh museum, Grrrreat! As I had been to London already but hadn't gone round museums.
So here I am in front of it! And also in front of an ancient Egyptian artefact. I was a little scared but my host reassured me it was made of stone and wouldn't move. Well hey, sorry but that's what people thought of me at first and look what I can do!
Anyway, we left the British museum safe and sound to go for a little walk around Chinatown. We took some pictures but it seems my host has lost them, don't tell her but I think she is a little disorganised...
Vava


Posted Apr 3, 2010, 6:54 am
Ok, so disorganised or not, I can't really tell her anything as she has been promising for ages that we would go together to a far far away country, and so she packed me in her suitcase, with her passport, computer, camera etc... It was a little tight in there and she said I shouldn't complain or the first thing that would go if she had excess luggage would be me! Can you believe that? I have a feeling she is not the most patient of people! But she would have left me at an airport anyway, what better place to travel from than that? Anyway here I am, at Heathrow airport after checking in. Aparently we will stop over in Dubai, but there is so little time to get on the next flight she said we wouldn't see any of it... Shame!
Vava


Posted Apr 3, 2010, 6:59 am
Here we are, after 24 hours of travelling, coach, plane, plane, coach, taxu, car etc, we have finally arrived at the first house we are going to stay in. It is a traditional Thai house made of teak wood. It is beautifull but also very noisy! You can hear everything that is happening everywhere! outside, inside, and there are a couple of babies in the house, so we often wake up to the sound of a baby crying or a mother soothing...
Here I am in front of the house, at night, and also on the little cooling area, nicely shaded during the day, a lovely terrace to realx and read a book. My host said we would stay there af ew days and relax, and after we will rent a car and start exploring the area a little!
Vava


Posted Apr 3, 2010, 7:02 am
Then I said to my host I could smell heavenly smells! She said it was from the frangipane tree, one of her favourite flowers! they can be white or pink/red and smell out fo this world. In this garden there are also a lot of orchids, it seems they grow like weed over here, how lucky the people living here are! Surrounded by flowers all year long! Then it started to rain, just a little, and the smell of the frangipane flowers took over the garden. It was getting really quite dark and my host was told to comeback in  as snakes would start coming out of hiding, brrrrr......
Vava


Posted Apr 3, 2010, 7:07 am
After a couple of days we finally rented a car. Yeah!  Iwas going to get to see a little of the countryside! She took me on a drive round the area, in direction of a place called Pala U waterfalls. Unfortunately the weather has been so dry lately that so are the falls! On the way, we came across a wild elephant. My host wouldn't take me out as she went out to take pictures of it. She said if it charged, she would have to run back very quickly into her car and drive off! So she left the engine running and the door open. And lucky she did, becasue the elephant started coming towards her, and then its pace got faster! I didn;t see anything,l just heard a swear work and the tyres screeching... mmmh, I'm not sure the rental company would be too happy about an elephant squashing our car... On the way back we saw a very unusual Buddhist monument made of cloths. We stopped and she said as we were out of danger, i could get out also. So here I am in front ot if, it is a little blurry but there is another picture of the monument more in focus.
Vava


Posted Apr 3, 2010, 7:15 am
After a few days with my host's hosts (!!) she decided to move to another palce. Not a traditional Thai hosue this time but avery nice flat in a beautiful complex. She said there wer swimming pools there, a gym, and we were right on the beach too! I asked why people would need swimming pools if they lived on the beach, she said the beach was windy here, and the water full of little jellyfish, eugh...
Here I am being lazy by the pool, enjoying the very hot sun of Thailand, and as you will see I had a little fright! My host's family liek to visit her there and they bring their children with her. And my host left me unattended for a minute and I was already being devoured by a giant baby! Argh!!! Fortunately, I was taken out of his mouth pretty quickly, but I was a little hurt when I heard my host tell the baby I was too dirty to put in his mouth... Am I? I asked to have a shower, but she said I was just fine, not to worry about it...
Vava


Posted Apr 3, 2010, 7:26 am
Yesterday we went exploring the area around the condo where we are staying and came across a Chinese TEmple. I know it is Chinese because the Buddha they have there is a smiling rotund man, like the ones we usually see in Europe! Thai ones are more slimline!
It was a long walk up to the top of the temple, and we saw monks on the way up there. My host waied to them. A wai is a gesture of respect you make to people in Thailand, You join your two hands in front of your face, palm to palm and bow your head. Depending on who your are waiing to, your hands should be at different heights. For a monk, the tumbs should be at the same height as the forhead. For a friend though, just around the chin. I asked my host why the monks wouldn't answer, were they rude? She said no, monks shouldn't wai back to a woman. One of them tried his English though and shouted a cheerful "hello" to us! My host took pictures of me In front of the temple, next to a Thai flag, and one of me on the nose of a dragon on which a buddha was sitting. In China, dragons protect people! In Thai buddisdt temple, you will find snakes, as snakes are the protectors here. Can u see me riding the dragon? I wasn't even scared!
Then she took a picture of me in front of a statue of a monk meditating. I tried to do the same pose but my legs were too short!!! Shame! But it's ok, i can meditate without being cross legged...
And finally she took a picture of me on a bell, they are very important in Buddhist celebrations and used after you have asked for something or made a donation to the temple.
Vava


Posted Apr 7, 2010, 3:10 pm
So here I am again, still in Thailand, and we had a pretty full day yesterday!
First, we woke up quite late, my host is insomniac and watches films to fall asleep. She falls asleep but I carry on watching films, I mean I can always sleep in her backpack right?
As we were having breakfast, we could hear some music coming from the temple close to the house. There are temples everywhere here!
So we hurried to see what it was! My host knew already as she had already witnessed this before, but it was all new to me...
To explain a little bit: It is common tradition in all families for the boys to be initiated as monks once in their lives. It is good for the family, and supposedly very good for their mother, it sort of increases her good Karma if I understood things right.
It is New year soon here, and also the summer holidays. So most boys will choose that time of the year to do so, so as not to miss out on scholl etc. if they are already at work, then some companies will allow time off for that. It could go from a few weeks to a few years, it all depends on what the boy will want.
So he is shaved of all hair, no more eyebrows, is given a white and gold lace robe to wear and a couple of lotus flowers, and he is paraded around the tample, accompanied by people dancing and music. So far we have heard mostly drums and brass.
I was in my host's hand at all times but she was worried people, as nice as they were, would be offended if she strated taking pictures of me with the monk. it is a matter to be taken seriously! So we were invited to dance with them in the street, but I couldn't get my photo taken with them... Sniff...
Vava


Posted Apr 7, 2010, 3:12 pm
After that we met up with my host's family for a meal at a restaurant, here I am next to a bottle of very good beer! Ssssh, don't tell anyone i drink, i sipped in secret! ;)
Vava


Posted Apr 7, 2010, 3:14 pm
As i may have mentioned, we are staying on a place on the seafront, so there are a few fishermen there!
After dinner my host wnted to take pictures of the boats in the sunset, so here I am on one of them!
Proud! But relieved the boat never left the sand, as I get a little seasick... :thinking:
Vava


Posted Apr 7, 2010, 3:17 pm
In Thailand there are also a lot of stray dogs. they don't belong to anyone, but they are not too skinny as part of Buddhism is helping any living creature. So there are a lot of dogs on the beach, all quite nice and inquisitive, being fed on scraps from restaurants and leftover fish from fishing boats. Here I am with one of them, and I wasn't even afraid even though he was much bigger than me! B)
Vava


Posted Apr 7, 2010, 3:19 pm
And when we got back home, THAT's where I got scared!
I don't like insects very much... But my host doesn't seem to mind them too much as long as they are not cockroaches. She insisted on taking a picture of me next to that praying mantra. She said it wouldn't do anything to me, but I've seen its loooong claws, and i know what they do to each other after having copulated. Fortunately, none of that business with me!  :cyclops:
Vava


Posted Apr 9, 2010, 1:36 pm
OK so here we are, my host had told me she would take me to see some monkeys. i thought maybe in a zoo or something, but it turned out I was wrong. They are at a temple quite famous for them actually. There were a few tourists around us.
So here I am at the temple, lying on the table used for offerings of incense and other things. I am lying as it was very windy and everytime my host put me upright I kept falling. And as there were monkeys everywhere she was a little woriied I might egt stolen never to be seen again, so we had to hurry to take the pictures.
You will also see me in front of various statues at that temple, Again, you will notice the buddha at that temple is very very fat and has a jolly good smile on his face. You will also notice dragons around me, which means this is a Chinese inspired temple.
Yje floors of the temple were beautifully decorated with tiny mosaic style drawings. See me in that bird nest asking the mother bird for food? I waited and waited but nothing came...
Vava


Posted Apr 9, 2010, 1:44 pm
Ok, so you might ask, where are the monkeys?! Well, my host didn't want to spend too much time near them. Once she said she came here and got bitten by a monkey. She had to go to hospital get the rabies jab and everything so she didn't really want to do that all over again. But here I am, in front of a sign that tells you you can buy food for them there. I asked of we could,l but my host said when u have food, all the monekys run towards you like rats and jump on you. They even climb on your head, eat while they are sitting on you etc etc. And she reeeeeally didn't want that!
Plus she said, she had me in her hands ans what would happen to me if I got stolen by a monkey? That would be the end of my travels!
:o
So we took pictures from a safe distance, of monkeys relaxing and picking each other's fleas, monkeys drinking out of a bucket, etc etc...
Vava


Posted Apr 13, 2010, 10:34 am
Very exciting piece of news today!
Because of a visa "problem", my host has to do a "visa run". She thought she would be fine but has miscalculated and is running over her visa date by 1 day and 1 hour!!! So that means we have to get out of Thailand and come back in. I asked if I needed a visa, but she told me only human beings and breathing animals did. Apparently stuffed toys don't...
So we spent the last couple of days trying to work out where we could go, Laos, Vietnam? And all of a sudden, my host realised that rather than look North of Thailand we could mabe look south, and that's how we both agreed on....




Wait for it...





Malaysia!

Yes! She said it had always been a dream of hers! But unfortunately becasue she is already on a tight budget, and still needs to keep money for her trip to Korea later this month, we will only stay 5 days there, molstly in Kuala Lumpur.
So my host has been busy looking at travelling websites to try and meet people there who could maybe help her make the most of our 5 days there!

We will take off on the 17th from Bkk, in the meantime tomorrow we are heading to Damnoen Saduak, a bit North of Hua Hin to visit some friends of my host in a very traditional Thai house on the river. That sounds exciting!
:D
Vava


Posted Apr 19, 2010, 3:12 pm
Ahhhh, we've gone places again, grrrreat!
My host took me to her sister in law's aunts' house. it a traditional Thai house, made of wood.
There was a special celebration called Songkran. The Thai New Year and the occasion to celebrate your ancestors and show them respect.
The aunts are sooo lovely! They fed us all day, and I had the best food on all my travels so far!
The house is in a cocnut plantation, it's all made of wood, and is basically just a couple of huge rooms! And in the middle of the hosue, there is no roof! So it rains inside the house, fun!
There are two entrances to the house, so the guests with cars ome through the gate, and the guest coming by boat, the post, the food etc come from the second entrance on the river.
Here are a few pictures of me in the kitchen, very basic as you can see, but it shows you don't need any fancy gadgets to make wonderful food, another one with food, and again with the food and you can see the "preparation area " behind me. Just a couple of planks outside of the house, about 4 meters high.
Vava


Posted Apr 19, 2010, 3:17 pm
After eating, of course washing uop had to be done, so I volunteered! After all I travel and eat for free, so I really should help. I looked for the sink in the kitchen and my host laughed! Here, we do the washing up in the river! So I followed one of the aunts and tried to help, but the river was too low for me to reach, so I supervised everything.
However, I looked arounf the area, and saw plenty of fish! I asked why there were in those nets and not on our plates, and I was told it is becasue there are too many! The uncle is a fisherman, so you can see me posing next to the nets, and next to the little boat he uses to go fishing on the river!
Vava


Posted Apr 19, 2010, 3:21 pm
When all that was over, we heard a boat coming to the hosue. All of a sudden everybody got quite excited and we all gathered around tall golden jars. I didn't really understand, so I watched everyone. They all sat down, and then I saw who was coming to the house, monks!
4 of them. They sat in front of everyone, with drinks in front of them as monks canot eat after 12o'clock. I didn't aske anything until the ceremony was finished. We listened to the monks chanting, my host got up to light some incense, and to throw some jasmine scented water onto those jars that had been opened. mmmh, all very intriguing... Here is me on front of the jars.
Vava


Posted Apr 19, 2010, 3:28 pm
So I waited until the monks left, and then I HAD TO ASK!
My host explained everything to me. First, there were four monks, because the number 4 in Thai is pronounced "see" which is nearly the same as the pronounciation for "death". And today was all about celebrating the dead, a little like "all Saints day" in some countries.
In the jars are the ashes and some bones of the ancestors. Sometimes they are kept at the local temple where people go and pray at SOngkran, sometimes people prefer to keep them at home, closer to them. The white thread around the jars is supposed to ward off evil spirits that might come into the house. The monks give is power by chanting and passing it from hands to hands.
The incense and scented water are offerings to the ancestors.
Nowadays, people gop out ion the streets and throw water at each other, it's good fun!
As I had been very quiet and refrained from asking questions, my host gave me the Jasmine necklace she was given. Don't I look good? Jasmine flowers smell amazing!
Vava


Posted Apr 19, 2010, 3:47 pm
I thought we were going to stay a couple of days there, but my host said she had to prepare a few things for our trip to MAlaysia, so we drove back home, That was a lot of driving that day!
So before we left I posed one last time at the first entrance of the hosue next to the Thai flag, and on top a a huge fruit called a jackfruit. My host tried but she didn't really like it. She said it reminded her of Durian, the really stnky fruit she tried last tiem she came...
And when my host told her friends about traveltoys, they thought it was a lot of fun and wanted to pose with me! So they are called PiNEung, Patty, and the baby is Rionna.
It was a fantastic day!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:06 pm
OK! So tomorrow we are heading to Bangkok for a couple of days and then off to Korea we fly! So my host who has been a little lazy of late, has decided it was time we updated my travelog! And here are a few pics of our trip to Malaysia.
Here I am, as soon as my host arrived sat the hetoel, she unpacked me as I was getting a little claustrophobic!
The hotel was nice, and right in the middle of a bazaar but it was ok, as it shut around 10pm at night. But we got woken up really early in the morning by the call to prayer from a nearby mosque, which was quite nice! Better than the sharp drill of the alarm clock!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:09 pm
As soon as we woke up on the first day, we went for a walk around the area. But what we didn't know is that KL is actually not so big, and it is quite easy to walk around interesting places if you do like walking, which my host does. So we first started at Merdeka square, the first place where the Malaysian flag was raised when they gained independance from the brits. Here I am near a fountain at Merdeka square.
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:11 pm
As we walked around the square, we saw the supreme court, a really beautiful building.
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:14 pm
As we were walking a little further, we realised one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia was just across the street from the hotel. It is called Masjid Jamek. Unfortunately my host never seemed to get there ast the right time to visit it, but we managed to see it quite well from the outside!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:27 pm
As we carried on walking, we came across a couple of temples, including the Sze Yah temple, a Chinese buddhist temple.
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:29 pm
After a much longer walk we got to KL's old railway station which is now a hotel. It is a gorgeous building built by an English architect. Just opposite it , the brown building is the Malaysian railway administration building, a very beautiful building also!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:31 pm
Near the old station are the Lake gardens, a park so huge and with so many things to do in it that we never managed to see everything, even over a few days. But we went to visit the world's largest free flight aviary, here is me next to a few parrots!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:33 pm
On the way back from the gardens, we visited another temple, this one called Guandi temple, he is the god of War. So here I am in front of it!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:35 pm
That was a really loooong first day! We calculated that overall we had walked nearly 12 kms. So my hosts feet were in a dire state, and very tired!
We slept reaaaaally well that night!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:37 pm
On our second day we decided to take it easier, so we took a taxi to a beautiful temple up on a hill in KL, the Thean Hou temple, a mix of a buddhist/taoist temple.
There were lanterns everywhere, it was great!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:39 pm
We walked a little at the back of the temple and discovered a pond with a huge amount of turtles! they were eveywhere! I was allowed to get close to those, as they are completely harmless, haha!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:41 pm
becasue as you remember, my host is not fond of certain animals...  ;)
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:42 pm
In the evening we went to watch the famous Petronas twin towers light up, it was gorgeous, I really enjoyed it!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:44 pm
The next day we managed to visit the National mosque. My host couldn't really take a lot of pictures, but it is supposed to be able to hold 15000 devotees for prayer, you can imagine how big it is!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:46 pm
As the national mosque is in the lake gardens, we stayed there for the day. we visited the Islamic arts museum, and here I am below one of the beautifully decorated ceilings.
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:48 pm
When we finished visiting the museum, my host took me to a butterfly park, it was absolutely amazing, all these butterflies, colourful, and so much bigger than the ones in Europe!The one I am next to is not too colourful, but it was the only one willing to pose with me!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:50 pm
And on the way back, we stopped at the Merdeka square again as we had forgotten to take a picture of me in front of the giant flagpole! it is said to be one of the tallest in the world! it was the flagpole on which the first flag of Malaysia was raised after independance, and whenever there is a celebration, this is where everyone gathers!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 2:54 pm
ont he 4th day my host felt a bit lazy and slept until quite late. she didn't mean to, she woke up early to get breakfast and got ready, and then she saw she was very early, so she thought she could just "rest her eyes for a bit"... Well, she rested them until 1pm!
And she had promised me she would take me to KL tower! Finally she woke uop and said maybe she wouldn't walk to the tower, becasue her feet were hurting, but as started walking around, and the tower got closer and closer, she carried on, until we trekked through a little bit of rain forest right in the middle of KL, and got to the feet of the KL tower. Here is what tons and tons of concrete look like!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 3:00 pm
After a bit of thinking, my host finally decided to pay the very expensive ticket to go up the tower. We went on an elevator that was really fast! I'm so glad we couldn't see outside and so was my host, otherwise she may have felt a little sick!
So here I am at the top of the tower, at the back you can see the Petronas twin towers. they look smaller than the KL tower, but they are actually taller, it's just that the tower is on top of a hill!
Vava


Posted Apr 28, 2010, 4:30 pm
So here we are, back in Hua Hin. my host packing our bags to fly off to Korea. She is very excited as she is going to stay with someone she calls her sould sister. My host is an English :cyclops: teacher, and Suya used to be a student at the school she worked at. A little later, she found a job at that school and needed accomodation. My host offered to take her on as a lodger and she stayed 1 year until she had to go back to Seoul to finish her degree, she had taken too long a break already. So my host doesn't stop talking about her ans is really looking forward to visiting Seoul and the countryside very soon! And so am I!!!
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 9:41 pm
So here we are! Korea! Well we are abck as my host couldn't really work on her pc over in Korea.
After a long flight, we arrived in the "village" where Suya, my host's Korean friend lives. They call them villages, but they are massive blocks of flats, as Korea is so small it all has to be built UP rather than over ground.
Here I am, in front of the sign for the blocks of flat where we were staying.
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 9:44 pm
Although my host was quite tired as she had barely slept the night before, after a light lunch her host family took her for a walk on one of the mountains at the back of the block of flats where they saty. My host was shattered and I couldn't help but laugh as she just carried me in her backpack, easy!!!!
At the top, we found some excercise machines, my host thought I might have a go at them, but they were just too big for me!
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 9:55 pm
After a good night's sleep, we opted to go to a traditional folk village. At the entrance of traditional villages, there are always totem poles, supposed to be be warding off evil spirits and illnesses. You can see me in front of one.

There are also often piles of rocks here and there. Each one of these rocks represent a wish from a villager or a visitor. The piles can only consist of three or four stones, or can get as big tall as the last person wishing can reach!
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 9:59 pm
Here you can see me in front of a shrine and in front of a wishing pile of stones again, but this time this one has a long rope around it on which further wishes were atached, all written on pieces of cloth.
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 10:03 pm
Here I am on front of a traditional tea house, and in front of a woman dressed in traditional Korean clothes, and in front of men dancing a farmer's dance after the harvest.
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 10:09 pm
And now here I am in front of a woman spinning cotton and in front of a horse show.
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 10:11 pm
And in front of a traditional farmhouse, in front of the herbs drying for medicinal purposes, and in a traditional kitchen.
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 10:14 pm
And again, me in front of a traditional house, the second one of a wealthier landowner, and in front of a traditional barge.
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 10:16 pm
And after this long day, we came back home to a wonderful dinner!
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 10:36 pm
After a day of rest to recuperate a little bit, we went into Seoul to visit the Gyeongbok palace. You can see me there in front of it, at the entrance and in front of a building, only a tiny piece of the palace, which is HUGE! And we were lucky enough to arrive in time for the change of the guards, a coulorful affair!
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 10:38 pm
And afterwards we visited the National Folk museum, very interesting.
Vava


Posted Jun 12, 2010, 10:42 pm
In the afternoon, we went to visit one of themost signigicant of Buddhist temples in Seoul, the Jyogesa temple. The temple was getting ready for celebrations for Buddha's birthday, hence all the lanterns. There were also paintings on the wall pannels on the outside of the temple depicting various stages of the life of Buddha.
Vava


Posted Jun 13, 2010, 9:19 pm
The next day was a day off in Korea, it was children's day. So my host's host family took her for a day out, with everyone. it was a great day!
We went to Suwon where we visited a Buddhist temple and you can see me posing in front of Buddha here.
Vava


Posted Jun 13, 2010, 9:24 pm
After that we went on a ride around the Hwaeseong fortress wall, part of the Unesco world heritage. To go around it we went on a little train with a big dragon at the front, scary!!!!
Vava


Posted Jun 13, 2010, 9:33 pm
We also visited Hwaseong haenggung palace, one of the numerous palaces in the Seoul area. You can see me at the front of the palace, on the hill above it, looking at its rooves, and me climbing in a beautiful maple tree. I guess some of my natural instincts just came back out!
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 7:50 pm
nother busy day today, with a lot to visit. We startede with more of UNESCO's world heritage, this one was the Jongmeo shrine, where the spirit tablets of monarchs are kept.
In korea, people believe the spirit stays around us once the person is dead. Spirit tablets are supposed to be some sort of "home" for the spirits to go to after the person has died. There is a whole ceremony that goes around briniging a spirit tablet to this site, and the chants and ceremony that go with this are now protected and preserved so as not to be lost for future generations.
So here I am, behind me you will see the triple path on which are taken all spirit tablets on their way to their new home.
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 7:52 pm
Next we went to the Changyeonggung palace.
The first picture is of me in front of the concubines quarter, he he he... Shame there were no ladies there at the time, but I could fancy myself having a few concubines, after all, that's what we lions do no? Live in a pride with an Alpha male. And I do fancy myself as an alpha male...
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 7:54 pm
Then we went around the grounds of the palace, around the gardens, and there was a beautiful lake. The kingobviously had good taste!
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:00 pm
As we strolled along a path, we came across this strange burial place. It was quite unusual as what was buried here was not a body, but the placenta of a new born. Placenta is considered an important part of a person, seeing as it is what fed the child during its gestation. Some believe after death the soul will travel back to the place where the placenta was buried, awaiting rebirth. However, it doesn't seem to be the reason why placentas are buried in Korea.
But it was mine and my host's first ever placenta grave!!!
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:04 pm
After a lovely morning, it was time for a more serious and sinister visit in the aftgernoon.
We went to Seodaemun  prison, which was host to thousands of Korean prisonners during the country's invasion by Japan.
Its prisonners were people who fought for Korea's independence. it was a place of torture and execution. it was a harrowing visit, but worth it, as I learnt a lot about Korea's history.
This is where we saw the largest flag we had seen in Korea, celebrationg Korea's independence from the Japanese.
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:07 pm
The next day was a lovely sunny day, and my host decided to go back to the traditional village and spend the day in the sun there. You can see me on front of a sculpture by a French artist, sitting happily in a lot of flowers, and in front of a traditional house which was the perfect size for me!
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:12 pm
our next trip out was again to Seoul, but this time my host wanted us to go for a nice leisurly walk up on of Seoul's mountains, and have a closer look at part of the wall that is now considered Unesco world heritage.
So we went up Inwangsan, me, happily tucked in the backpack, my host thinking we were just going to go for an hour;s walk, no water, no food, silly...
We took a wrong turn end ended up walking for hours! My host could have stopped anytime she wanted, but she kept wanting to go higher and higher up the mountain!
And she was right, the view was unbelievable! Here I am on the path up the mountain,  in front of the wall, and above Seoul!
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:18 pm
At the weekend, we went up to the DMZ. The DMZ is the demilitarised zone. My host was barely allowed to take pictures, so of course she could 't take any of me.
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the 4km wide buffer zone separating North and South Korea is rather ironically, anything but demilitarized. Both countries are still technically at war, the ceasefire and armistice that ended the fighting were never followed with a formal peace treaty.
The Joint-Security Area is a row of blue and white huts straddling the Military Demarcation Line dividing the peninsula where armistice talks continue to this day.
Athmosphere was really tense when we went becasue of a South boat having been sunk by the North, although not proved at the time, so only a few pictures were allowed. But I suggest looking it up on the internet, it is a very interesting topic, ans luckier travellers in the past were allowed to take more photos than we were:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yeowatzup/2913814019/

Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:26 pm
After a heavy day at the DMZ, we had a lovely quiet day at the flower market, and had ice cream in the glow of the night lights. What a lovely relaxing day we had!
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:34 pm
Another lovely day with my host's host family. Mu host wanted to find a pottery to bring back to her parents, as Korea is famous for Celadon pottery, so we were taken to the world pottery exhibition. Here you see me in front of a tree made of steel and hundreds of small ceramic bells. They made the most beautiful sound in the wind!
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:35 pm
We had a gorgeous day walking along the sream that splits Seoul in two. The surroundings were recently refusrbished and we had a glorious day on the riverside!
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:37 pm
The next day we went and visited the Myeong DOng catholic cathedral, the largest and most important catholic cathedral in Seoul.
You can see me on front of a statue of Jesus, and you can also see Seoul tower in the background, and the next picture is of me in front of the cathedral.
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:38 pm
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Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:42 pm
We both liked the stream surroundings so much we decided to follow its course from th start of it, which is here, on this square with this majestic fountain, and we walked until sunset looking at the mural depicting the king and his entourage, until we got to a light show on the banks of the stream. You can see me in front of 3D flowers.
Vava


Posted Jun 14, 2010, 8:46 pm
And finally came the time to have our last day in Seoul and in korea. It was a very emotional day! And it was also the day of Lord Buddha's birthday celebrations!
So we went back to the Jyogesa temple, where you can see me in front of a Korean flag made of lanterns, and also on front of the procession of various lanterns!
Vava


Posted Jun 30, 2010, 10:35 am
OK, so we're back in Thailand, and my host decided it was time to do a little travelling around the area, and she heard about a temple where tigers are kept and live with the monks.
Because her thai is very limited, she wasn't sure whether she was going in the right direction. But when she saw this man, she thought maybe he could help, and he directed her towards tiger temple.
However, as you may have noticed, this is not a tiger I was photographed with here, but an ocelot we think.
I'm so glad he was attached and half asleep, I know lions are supposed to be kings of the jungle, but damn this was much bigger than me!
Vava


Posted Jun 30, 2010, 10:45 am
OK, so we eventually found tiger temple, but I guess there are two of them, as this one had no living tigers... Shame... But as we spent too long already looking for it, my host said she'll try and find it next time she comes to Thailand! In the meantime here I am at the temple. It had magnificient views and a giant golden Buddha!
Vava


Posted Jul 23, 2010, 9:16 pm
Talking about beasts, I met up with a snail that was nearly as big as me!!!! My host, who is French, told me that people eat them in her country. I asked if the ones they ate were as big as this one and she said no.. Pfeeeeew... It wouldn't take a lot of them to fill you up!
Vava


Posted Jul 23, 2010, 9:23 pm
the day after we went up north a little to visit the river Kwai bridge. An incredible piece of history!We even saw the train cross it, though very slowly as people walk up and down that bridge all day long. we thought about maybe going on the train but we didn't really have time becasue my host had a pretty amazing surprise for me... Just wait to see those pictures!
Vava


Posted Jul 23, 2010, 9:30 pm
A snake farm!!!! and one that is famous for its cobra show!
You can see me on various photos, one with a python, see how big he is? One with a man taming a cobra behind me, and other pictures with various snakes behind me. How awesome is that?????
And of course a picture of me in the temple next door. In a place where people brave death on a daily basis, you NEED a temple!
Vava


Posted Aug 3, 2010, 10:13 am
Right, so we have been back to the UK for a bit now, and not much has happened as we are right in the middle of my host moving house to France. So all I see is stressed out people, potential buyers for the house, boxes etc... Not much fun, but I get to go to France soon! So I am really excited about that! I'll take the boat with the other big cat of the house. I think we will have to stay in the car, though my host has said that if I behave, I might be allowed out onto the deck of the boat for a few pictures!
We are going to France, a few weeks to settle, and then it is my host's wedding. I can't remember going to a wedding before, and she prmised I would get pictures taken with the bride and groom and at the party. I hear there's going tp be cake! I looooove cake!
So I'll keep you all updated!
Vava


Posted Sep 15, 2010, 3:13 pm
Hey you guys!
I have been off for quite a while, my host was moving house and preparing the wedding, but I'm back!
We are all in France now, and I went to my host's wedding, it was a great party!
There was amazing food, fireworks, antique cars and people in the swimming pool at 5 am!
My host is sorting out the pictures.
Next I am heading off to Alkmaar in Holland, where my host's cousin will take me round Amsterdam and other places, and I will get to compelte one of my missions! Looking forward to it!
Talk to you soon!
Vava


Posted Dec 9, 2010, 7:15 pm
OK, so she is unforgivable! She has not updated my log for ages, and it's high time I moved on to new horizons!
But while we get to chose where I go, here are a few things I have done latel.
First, my host got maried on the 21st of August. It was a great big party, people from all over the world turned up as my host and her husband both travelled quite a bit. My host's father had prepared a big surprise, fireworks!!! I loved it!
Vava


Posted Dec 9, 2010, 7:25 pm
To make up for being such a bad host, I was taken on Holiday in an area of France called Savoie. There was a lot of snow, and here I was at the COL du GALIBIER, a notoriously difficult place to pass for the Tour de France cyclists.
Vava


Posted Dec 9, 2010, 7:29 pm
While we were over, it snowed a lot and noone was around, it was a lovely peaceful time. Here are some pitures of me in the snow.
Vava


Posted Dec 9, 2010, 7:34 pm
And then we went round a lot of typical villages, with old stone houses and wooden chalets. It was lovely!
Vava


Posted Dec 9, 2010, 7:37 pm
we carried on with a lovely walk and saw an amazingly beautiful lake and a roman brige. We rae so near the Italian border that my host told me we were going to spend a day there as everything here in the mountain is closed. It's not holiday season here, so there is really noone around!

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