craigandcorrine

Dusting off the cold weather gear!
Perth, Australia
So we are off jet setting again, this time a short trip to our friendly neighbour, New Zealand to check out the ski slopes and hopefully some wineries in Queenstown and a short stop in Dunedin to catch up with a friend that we made while in Zambia last year.
So we have had to dust of our cold weather gear pack our gloves, scarfs and beanies before heading to the land of the long White Cloud.
See you in Queenstown!
written by  craigandcorrine on July 14, 2012 from Perth, Australia
from the travel blog: Ski Trip to New Zealand

The Preparation
Perth, Australia
A sample of the sporting equipment to take to Zambia with us!
We are five days away from leaving on a big jet plane to Africa. This time we are taking Craig's parents Tracy and Bruno and his younger brother Marc with us.. We thought we might need some big cat bait!!
Over the last couple of months in preparation for our volunteering stint in Zambia we have organised morning teas and had a hot roast beef roll night at our place to raise funds to buy much needed items for the school. We have been astounded by the generosity of our friends, family and work colleagues. THANKS GUYS!!
After many months of planning you would think that we are all ready to hop on to that plane, well you would be wrong. Even though we have had our immunisations and our safari suits are all ready to be packed we still need to do just that, along with 40 Australian rules footballs, 15 basketballs plus some t-ball gear and a bunch of other bits and pieces of sporting equipment.
Now to finish getting ready for our big trip, next on the list pick up our plane tickets!
See you in Cape Town!
PS Don't forget to leave your comments or crazy ideas for photo suggestions. If you leave a suggestion for a crazy photo for example different poses, we will try and do it and put it up next time!
written by  craigandcorrine on October 13, 2011 from Perth, Australia
from the travel blog: Cape to Kruger and a Waterfall

16 Sleeps to go til we go.
Perth, Australia
The laptop and camera that will keep you updated
Hello everyone.
For the next few months this may be the only form of contact we have with each other. We are off on our honeymoon and although we don't want you there with us, we welcome you to keep up with our adventures.
There is still so much to do in 16 days before we leave on the biggest trip of our lives. Where are we going to stay, how are we getting from one place to another?? We still don't know ourselves... All we know is that time is running out for us to get organised. One big question that is still to be answered is - How are we getting to the airport??
We will attempt to keep this blog up to date with what we are doing, what we have done and where we will go next.
We should probably get organised now.
Blog you all later.
Craig and Corrine
written by  craigandcorrine on November 19, 2009 from Perth, Australia
from the travel blog: World Tour

The Journey
Singapore, Singapore
Every journey has its hurdles.. Our first hurdle was when Craig's brother Marc couldn't find his passport less than 24 hours before we were meant to fly out! After a full scale search of three different houses it was finally located and everyone breathed a big sigh of relief.. Marc needed to be there, what else are we going to feed the lions with!
Our second hurdle was it seemed no matter how hard we tried and how we packed our cases and the boxes of donated sports equipment we could not get everything in and come close to our weight limit. Thanks to Craig's parents who came to the rescue and packed the extra stuff.
The third hurdle was when our luggage still came in heavier than what we were allowed. We all had our fingers crossed that the person checking our luggage in was compassionate to our cause and would let it go through. Our crossed fingers did the trick and there was no extra charge.
We were finally on our way! The flight to Singapore was a dream flight, not many people on the plane so we were able to spread out. The stopover at Changi airport went relatively quickly with a visit to the Butterfly Garden and a quick bite to eat. The second leg of the journey we were not quite as lucky, with the flight being packed! Corrine had her knee caps almost shattered when the man in front could not work out his chair and rammed it back.. This was even before takeoff. It was a long flight.
We eventually made it to our destination after one of the longest journeys that either of us have ever taken. We were rewarded with the beautiful scene that is Cape Town and with renewed energy we all looked forward to what laid ahead of us!
written by  craigandcorrine on October 20, 2011 from Singapore, Singapore
from the travel blog: Cape to Kruger and a Waterfall

A Big Table
Cape Town, South Africa
After spending three days in Cape Town I think it is safe to say it is one of the most pretty cities that we have visited. The views from Table Mountain looking down on the city and out to the Atlantic Ocean and the view from the city up to Table Mountain, Lion's Head and Signal Hill and the surrounding mountains are equally as breath taking. Put that together with tasty wines and a fantastic water front, (for those at home think a cross between the restaurants at Hillarys Boat Harbour and the working harbour of Fremantle but bigger and you get an idea.) Cape Town is a great place to visit!
Cape Town was not all smooth sailing unfortunately. Our hotel that we were meant to stay at was having an issue with the hot water system. There was no hot water! Everything else was fantastic there though. To the hotel's credit they moved us to another hotel free of charge, they went above and beyond though and moved all five of us to The Westin which is a part of the recently built Cape Town International Convention Centre. But for those of you who come to Cape Town we highly recommend Hollow on the Square.
There were two clear highlights of the Trip to the Cape, for those who know Corrine it would come as no surprise that one of her highlights was the wine! Even Craig's mum who likes to declare herself as a non drinker even got in on the act. We are even hoping that we can get one of the bottles home to share with Nathan and Mel!! When people think of South Africa wine is probably not on the forefront of their minds but if you enjoy a drop or two Cape Town should definitely be on your list to visit.
The other highlight is quite understandably Table Mountain and the surrounds. A trip here is not complete with out a trip up to the very flat peak. Once up there the views were spectacular. Unfortunately the "Table" is often covered up with a "Table Cloth" a think blanket of cloud. Luckily the day we chose to go us was the day the sky was the most clear.
One thing that stands out in Cape Town is the devastating effect that the apartheid had on the town. There are still areas of the town that have not finished rebuilding since almost everything was demolished in District Six. Hopefully in the coming years this can be rectified and the town can be rebuilt.
We are leaving today for Hermanus and will be sad to leave behind Cape Town and all her friendly citizens including the little rabbit like creature called a dassie that is the closest living animal to an elephant.
written by  craigandcorrine on October 22, 2011 from Cape Town, South Africa
from the travel blog: Cape to Kruger and a Waterfall

It is time to go..... Craig and Corrine (Almost)
Hello to everyone (Probably just the one or two who are reading this)
We have had our Bon Voyage Party, check out some of the photos below.
We are all packed - well almost. We jet off tomorrow morning just after 11am to what looks like is going to be drizzly South African weather. We are both so excited and cannot wait for the adventures that lie ahead of us.
We would just like to take a moment to thank a few people who have made this possible, the first being -
Ivana Kovacevich from Breakaway Travel in Midland. Ivana you have been a fantastic help and we couldn't have done this with out you.
Tanya Kotze from Africa Direct, you have gone above and beyond what we could have expected from the other side of the world. We have already told people that if they ever want to go to Africa just get in touch with you. If you ever come to Perth we will be happy to play tour guide for you.
Steven Moylan from Flight Centre Innaloo,Thankyou for organising our EuRail passes for us.
You have all been a great help. Thank you.
When we get back we are going to put together a sound track for our journey, it would be great if everyone helps us think of songs that we can use. Everyone get your thinking hats on for a song that you think would be suited for an African Safari.
I hope everyone enjoys reading our blog as much as we are going to enjoy experiencing the world and letting you know what we are up too.
Blog you all later.
Craig and Corrine.
written by  craigandcorrine on December 4, 2009 from Perth, Australia
from the travel blog: World Tour

Hermanus... Strange name great place.
Hermanus, South Africa
We said goodbye to Cape Town and made our way to Hermanus (for those of you playing at home it is said Her-mar-nes) via The Cape of Good Hope, or as we called it “The Cape of Goodness me it is Windy I hope I don't blow away.” We still cannot figure out if the two and a half hour detour was worth it or not. We did tick off the obligatory photos in front of the sign that told everyone the co-ordinates of where they were along with the other tourists. The best thing about the visit was when a lady asking Craig if he could take her photo was almost knocked off her feet by the wind into him. I would not recommend taking small children here as they may get picked up by an updraft and blown out to sea... On the other hand if you are on holidays and want to get rid of your pesky kids The Cape of Good Hope would be a perfect place to take them.
Feeling slightly wind blown we hopped into the car for our journey to Hemanus, we were treated with spectacular scenery of where the Atlantic Ocean meets the rocky cliffs. We drove along the cliffs and felt like we were in one of those emails you get of dangerous roads.. We saw some ostriches and even had to slow down for baboons. Baboons have no fear of cars it seems and will take their sweet time in getting out of the way. We were all on the look out for whales playing close in to shore but were not lucky enough to see any.
Once in Hermanus we were blown away by the bed and breakfast were we were to spend the night. It was amazing. It was just like being at home but only better! All the rooms overlooked the ocean and the cliffs. The owners there have done a really amazing job. It made us want to retire and open our own B&B there. It would be great to go back and spend a few nights there.
One thing that we were hoping to do was Great White Cage Diving, we unfortunately didn't get the chance as when we went to book the weather forecasts all said that there was going to be bad off shore storms and all the companies had canceled the trips at that stage, We are still holding a bit of a grudge against the weather man for being wrong and denying us a chance with the big fish when the weather turned out to be fine! Oh Well there is no use on dwelling on things that could have been, we still have a great adventure ahead of us.
Next Stop – Mossel Bay!
written by  craigandcorrine on October 24, 2011 from Hermanus, South Africa

Mosselbaai
Mossel Bay, South Africa
We set off to Mossel Bay from Hermanus, this was to be our longest road trip and all just to get to the begining of The Garden Route.
There is not a huge amount to report on this particular leg of the journey other than having to stop for some more baboons which is quite the novelty for us.
Even that night we didn't really do much other than get a free shuttle bus to a restaurant, something I think they should do at home.
Next stop Knysna!
written by  craigandcorrine on October 25, 2011 from Mossel Bay, South Africa

In Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa
Hello Everyone
We finally arrived after a few little hicups along the way. Our flight was slightly delayed, hit some rough weather, the turbulence was rather bad . Also had trouble getting off the plane - the skywalk would not attach.
We finally made it out of the air port and was greeted with a spectacular electrical storm. The lightening lit up the sky and looked like some one had turned on an ultra violet light.
We are off to pick up the hire car and make our way towards Kruger.
Blog you later.
written by  craigandcorrine on December 5, 2009 from Johannesburg, South Africa
from the travel blog: World Tour

Knysna, a geyser and a few elephants!
Knysna, South Africa
The higlight of our trip along The Garden Route happened in Knysna. While here it was Craig's parents Tracy and Bruno's 30th Wedding anniversary. We had planned a pretty awesome Surprise for them (even if we do say so ourselves) We organised an exclusive sunset walk with elephants at Knysna Elephant Park. After feeding them with the rest of the group we got to hang around and have extra cuddles (well as much as you can cuddle a four tonne giganton elephant!) and pats and got to walk with them before they bedded down for the night. The experience was incredible and left us lost for words. After the ellies were in bed we got our own private dinner and just reminisced about what we had just experienced.
The fun didn't end there!! Once back at the guest lodge Corrine somehow managed with the strength of an elephant pull the shower tap out of the wall!! This left a giant hot water fountain coming out of the wall causing localised flooding to not only the bathroom but the bedroom and floor below when it seeped through the ceiling. Thankfully the owner was really good about it and got us into a different room that we are proud to say we didn't destroy. No photos were captured at this event.
The next day a sheepish Corrine and the rest of the crew headed towards [[South-Africa/Jeffrey's-Bay]] with a quick stop at Monkey Land and Tenikwa Cat Sanctuary where we got up and close to cheetahs!
Our next big stop will occur at Kruger National Park. See you then!!
written by  craigandcorrine on October 26, 2011 from Knysna, South Africa

Inyati
Hazyview, South Africa
We got to Port Elizabeth without any dramas to catch our two flights to get to The Sabi Sands Game Reserve which is a part of the Greater Kruger National Park which is where we were to spend the next four nights.
Our flight was delayed in Johannesburg which in fact turned out to be a blessing as there was a slight hiccup and we left some things on the plane from Port Elizabeth. Thankfully we were able to get them back.
After a rather bumpy ride into Kruger/Mpumulunga International Airport we were almost at our destination, just another hour and a half bumpy car ride separated us from the animals. You could feel the excitement in the car with Marc and Tracy both snoozing away and everyone else other than the driver fighting with their eyelids to stay open.
Once at Inyati we were welcomed with spectacular views of a heard of elephants grazing not so far away. It was an amazing sight for us who had been there before but even more so for the others who did not know what to expect. A quick refresher and some afternoon tea we were ready for the first game drive.
Every game drive we went on offered a new adventure from leopards in trees, lion cubs playing, sundowner drinks with rhinos walking past through to seeing nature at work with a buffalo being a meal for lions first, then vultures and hyenas.
Whilst on the drives, we had Piet as our guide and Nelson as our tracker, who also were our guide and tracker on our previous visit. Time and time again these guys were able to track and locate many animals, the list of animals was very extensive but the highlights were the big 5, zebra and giraffe. During the quieter time during the middle of the day Craig went for an afternoon jog with Piet through the park.
The first morning drive after a awesome thunderstorm, we headed out only a few hundred metres from camp and the car was stopped. Nelson had spotted some tracks, a leopard dragging an impala. Following the tracks we come across where the leopard had dragged its kill, only to find lion tracks leaving the area. Later on we found the lions basking in the sun after they had enjoyed the remainder of the impala.
We had some great people join us on our drives including Peta and Manfred from Germany.
This post could go on forever but we are now in J'burg heading to Victoria Falls.
See you in Victoria Falls!
written by  craigandcorrine on October 30, 2011 from Hazyview, South Africa

Wild in Africa
Hazyview, South Africa
Our trip into the Kruger National Park was spectacular. To get there we had to drive through some very colourful towns. People who live in the traditional villages don't generally own cars so they rely on their community taxis. It was a sight to see, while waiting for the taxis the people either walk in the direction that they want to go or just stand on the highway. We hope that they are not in a hurry because we dare say that they are always going to be late.
Once through the gates of the park we were on the continual lookout for animals, all we saw were some Guinea fowl and dung beetles. Once at the lodge we were very impressed at the grounds. We sat down and were warned about leaving our room unlocked whether or not we are in it as the local baboons know how to use door handles but are yet to know how to pick locks.
The game drives we magnificent and some of the highlights include watching the lions hunting, the leopard cub, the baby elephant, the baby rhino, our animal tracker being able to spot a chameleon in the dark using only a spotlight while traveling at the same time, being surrounded by hungry lions in the dark in an open top land rover and Craig's favourite – the elephant that farted. His only regret is that he did not capture it on video.
On one drive we got to see the entire big five, Buffalo (do not underestimate the size of these animals they are not much smaller that a rhino), Elephant, Leopard, Rhino and of course the lion.
We have so many stories to tell from this particular leg of our trip but not enough time to write it all down, plus we know that people do not want to read long winded blog entries on here.
Now we are onto Egypt to see the last remaining ancient wonder of the world.
Blog you later.
written by  craigandcorrine on December 11, 2009 from Hazyview, South Africa

Finally the Waterfall!
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
We arrived in Victoria Falls without any dramas but were in for quite a shock when we landed though. Victoria Falls International Airport is the smallest airport we have been to. When we landed we were greeted with 37 Degree Celsius heat, then we herded towards immigration and customs like cattle. Even in big flash airports you feel like cattle waiting to go through but when the airport is no more than a shed with a couple of ceiling fans... Well you get the picture.
Once at the hotel we were welcomed with iced tea and a cold towel. After settling in we hit the pool, AHH BLISS! We then dragged ourselves out of the pool to get ready for a sundowner cruise along the Zambezi. Then we found out that we had our days mixed up and the cruise was not until the next night. Disappointed that we dragged ourselves out of the pool for nothing we walked down the main street (which also seems to be the only street in Victoria Falls) to have a look whilst dodging all the illegal street hawkers trying to sell their dodgy wares.
After an early night we got up early to go white water rafting down the Mighty Zambezi. From all accounts it is the best white water rafting in the world and we conquered it. We were all feeling pretty smug that we hadn't capsized and made it through grade 5 rapids, then we saw the climb up!! Our smugness was soon gone. The 2km walk up a 250m high gorge in 40 degree Celsius heat was an absolute killer! It took about 45minutes to climb up but at the time it felt a lot longer. That night we relaxed while having a few drinks cruising down the top of the Zambezi whilst taking the sights of hippos wallowing, an elephant and a magnificent sunset.
The next day we hobbled like a bunch of grannies to see what we had come to see. The Victoria Falls. The sight was breathtaking but unfortunately there was so much mist from the falls around we were unable to get any decent photos of one of the wonders of the world. It would be a sight to see in the wet season when the falls are at their peak!
After a quick dip in the hotel pool there was no time for relaxing as we had to head out for some serious adventure! We were picked up and soon after and taken to one of the gorges to go flying foxing, zip lining and gorge swinging! Gorge swinging is not as "adult club" as it sounds. It is similar to bungee jumping although you are strapped in at the waist. You then jump and free fall for about 100 metres, the rope then catches you and swing through the gorge! The flying fox was 200 metres above the gorge as was the zip line.
After the action packed days we said our farewells to Tracy, Bruno and Marc and we are heading on to Zambia where we will be volunteering at a community school for two weeks.
See you in Zambia!
written by  craigandcorrine on November 3, 2011 from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Pool with a view
Livingstone, Zambia
We made our way from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe to Livingstone in Zambia. What a crazy journey! It only took about 45minutes all up, including going through immigration in Zambia but it was a crazy 45 minutes and a little bit nerve wracking too.
The trip took two different taxis. One to get us to the Zimbabwean border and then another to cross the bridge to the Zambian boarder. Leading up to the bridge there were a load of trucks and their drivers finalising their last bits of paperwork before heading into Zambia. There was quite a queue lining up but that could have also been because only one truck is allowed onto the bridge at any one time.
Once on the bridge our taxi driver had to weave in and out of people making their way to the other country. Cars did not seem to be staying on their side of the road. People on bikes loaded up with with so many things your wonder how they can actually push the pedals. Once we got to the other side that is where the fun began.
As soon as we got out of the taxi people were trying to grab our bags to help us and make a quick buck at the same time. We were able to fend nearly everyone off. It also seems that people here do not have respect for people's personal space. Either that or they are just really nosy! While showing our passports to guy in immigration the people were standing so close behind us they could have read the passports. It wasn't only the people behind us the people behind them got really close too. The guy going over all our paper work was not phased by this. He was too busy chatting to his friends on Facebook! After what seemed like forever we were finally issued the appropriate visa for volunteering in the country, charged $50 each (a figure he just seemed to make up out of the blue, although he did give us a receipt) stamped our passports. Then went back to Facebook, probably telling his friends that drinks were on him as he had just duped two Australians out of $50 each!
We finally me our contact and driver while we are here and headed to the backpackers that will be home for the next two weeks.
We have had a quick look at the school but we will tell you more about that later when we have some more to talk about.
On Saturday night we went out to dinner at a little Italian restaurant called Olga's Italian Corner. All the staff their come from disadvantaged backgrounds. People who did not have access to schooling when they were younger so have no skills now. Olga's teaches them about the hospitality trade, (something Livingstone is not short of considering the many tourists about.) cooking and even carpentry. They are even opening a guest lodge and make a pretty good pizza. You can check them out at www.olgasproject.com. It was nice to see how eating out can make a difference.
Today we went for a swim... Going for a swim, that's pretty boring you say.. Well it just wasn't any swim. We went swimming on top of Victoria falls itself. We went by jet boat to Livingstone Island and then for a short swim and walk out to the little pool named Devil's Pool and then took a big leap of faith into the water where we found ourselves right on the edge of the waterfall with only a natural ledge made of rock stopping us from going over. It was amazing to see the rainbows that the mist forms from such a birds eye point of view. We both did the jump without to much hesitation. We were both more nervous going gorge swinging than jumping off a rock metres away from the largest waterfall in the world. It was such a exhilarating experience. Once back on dry land we enjoyed a fantastic lunch on Livingstone Island. Hopefully the photos do what we did some justice and you can see how silly we both really are!
We start our first full week at the school tomorrow so will hopefully have something to tell you at the end of the week. In the meantime if we have anymore crazy adventures we will be sure to tell you about them.
See you all later.
written by  craigandcorrine on November 7, 2011 from Livingstone, Zambia

Walking like an Egyptian.
Cairo, Egypt
The ancient Pyramids are truly amazing but what is even more amazing is how the drivers in Cairo manage to stay alive on the roads... They are crazy!! The lines as we have been told and we believe them 100% are for decoration purposes only. People beep their horn every few seconds, to let people know that they are coming up behind them, or merging in front of them. We held on for dear life all the way from the airport to the hotel.
We can see the pyramids from our hotel, we went for a walk to them on the first day, it was supposed to be a nice relaxing walk but was anything but that. From the time we stepped out of our hotel we were asked if we wanted to get into a taxi every few steps. It only got worse as we got closer to the ancient monuments we came to see. Instead of seeing if we wanted to get into taxis we were asked if we wanted camel or donkey rides. We had a quick look at the Great Pyramid of Giza and dodged all the people asking us if we wanted a ride in their taxi until we were back behind the doors of the hotel. We had a shadow most of the way in the form of a Tourist Police Officer, he made sure we were not in any danger and helped us cross the road.
The following day we checked out the pyramids properly, even getting to go deep into the burial chamber of the second pyramid in Giza. We had to crouch the whole way into the belly of the pyramid and while doing the crab walk back out we passed a little old lady going in, everytime she took a step she forgot that if she lifted her head she would bump it on the ceiling of the narrow tunnel. We are wondering if she made it back out alive or if that burial chamber will also be the final resting place of the old lady too...
We also got a tour of the Sphinx (which is not as big as we imagined it to be) and the first ever pyramid built in Ancient Egypt – The Step Pyramid.
We also learned the ancient art of carpet and rug making and papyrus making. Even picking up a few different souvenirs along the way.
Buying souvenirs in Egypt is not a hard thing to do, where ever you go people are trying to sell you cheap nic-nacs, they even want money for photographing their camel or donkey.
Some one offered 1500 cows in exchange for Corrine, not sure who would be getting the better deal.
We are now waiting to leave for the train station where we are catching a sleeper train down to Luxor and Aswan to see the valley of the kings.
Blog you later.
written by  craigandcorrine on December 15, 2009 from Cairo, Egypt

Volunteering at Linda Community School - Week 1
Linda, Zambia
It has now been a full week of volunteering at Linda Community School. If we said we have loved every minute of it so far, that would be a big, fat. hot and sweaty lie! It has been pretty tough. Both physically and emotionally. The only thing that we would change would be the heat though. It is getting to about 45 degrees Celsius. The school doesn't have any cooling system in place including fans.
We we got to the school on Monday we glad we had worn our walking shoes. The first thing we did was go for a walk to see how some of the children lived. One child lives an hour walk from the school and sleeps in a tiny little mud and straw hut that he has to share with his brother. The hut would be about half the size of a disabled toilet cubicle you would find in a shopping centre. His three sisters share a slightly bigger hut that is also the kitchen. There is no electricity and closest source of water is about a kilometre and a half away at the communal pump. This pump also occasionally breaks so the village is has no real access to water when that happens. The pump was not working for a couple of days this week. When that is the case the school attendance drops dramatically until people are able to access water again.
The school is lucky that it has its own water pump so the children have access to water all day. This pump also provides half of the community with water too.
A lot of the children at the school are orphans who are being cared for by relatives. One child is being cared for by his uncle who is only 21 himself. Not only has he cared for this boy by himself since we was 15 he also has a small farm that is his only source of income. The children only go to school for half a day so that they can work for the other half and help their parents or relatives if they need to. The kids might be put to work on the small farms, collecting firewood to sell or even crushing rock in extreme heat that is sold by the wheelbarrow full for the equivalent of $1.
It sounds as if these kids live a pretty bleak existence but they all come to school with bright smiles and are ready to learn. When asking the kids what they want to be when they grow up their answers are the same as kids in Australia. They want to be pilots, soldiers, teachers, nurses and farmers when they grow up.
For the next couple of weeks the school is a couple of teachers short for various reasons. There are no substitute teachers so we have been given the grade six class to teach. The high light of the day for both them and us would have to be the sport. This week they learned how to kick an Australian Rules footy. There are some kids that there that I imagine talent scouts would take a keen interest in. They seem to be naturals. Today they played T-Ball... Well a very modified rules version. It must have been quite a sight as we gathered a pretty strong crowd of kids and adults from the community. It was great fun. The Wombat Team beat the Platypus Team.
This week did not come with out any dramas though. There was in fact a Malaria scare that involved taking Corrine to the doctors clinic. It turned out to just be a cold which she had tried to tell people but no one was taking any chances and two injections in the backside later. One of them just in case it was very early stages of Malaria and not registering yet and another for the nausea (probably caused by the incredible heat) The trip to the clinic was quite an adventure. We both thought were seeing things when a cat came strolling out of one of the examination rooms into the waiting area and out of the door. There was also a dog just wandering around. It did make us wonder if we were in fact at a veterinary clinic instead of a human one. At least all is good and we do have a bit of a story to tell. Isn't that what traveling is about?
We are off to Botswana for the weekend so we will surely have a tale to tell after that.
See you soon.
written by  craigandcorrine on November 11, 2011 from Linda, Zambia

Beautiful Botswana
Kasane, Botswana
After a week of volunteering and spending our third wedding anniversary sitting in our room eating instant noodles we thought we would treat ourselves to an overnight trip to Botswana to check out the Chobe River.
Getting to Botswana required about an hours drive to the border of Zambia to get our passports stamped then another short drive to the river that divides Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. Then we took a short trip via a tiny little dinghy to the other side of the river into Botswana. The dinghy took several attempts at getting it started. Through immigration on the other side and a walk through some disinfectant to help stop the spread of foot and mouth disease we were in Botswana.
The first day of the two day trip was fantastic. We went on the Chobe on a little jet boat and got nice and close to lots of hippos, elephants that were having a swim and loads of birds. We even got to see some buffalo and an assortment of different antelopes. One hippo even told us that he did not appreciate being disturbed and gave a half hearted chase.
We then went to the lodge for lunch and a bit of a nap before setting off on the afternoon drive through the Chobe National Park. The drive was awesome even though we didn't see any lions and still no cheetah. We were lucky enough to see leopards, big herds of elephants and buffalo which is a sight that can not be written down in words. The elephants and buffalo were crossing the river into Namibia in search for some greener grass. To see that many animals move at one time is something spectacular. (It has nothing on The Great Migration of the Masai Mara and seeing it on a small scale has made us want to visit Kenya at some stage).
Back at the lodge somewhat dusty from our drive it was time for dinner, on the menu was pasta with crocodile and eland (a sort of antelope) stew. Corrine was not even able to get through her entree of soup. The heat had been getting to her and she was not feeling the best. After Craig ate all of his meal including desert it was time to go to bed so we were nice and refreshed in the morning for another boat ride on the river... Unfortunately that did not happen. Corrine had taken a turn for the worse overnight and the thought of moving made her turn a deeper shade of green. The self diagnosed stomach bug was really making moving and the thought of breakfast unbearable. Craig enjoyed a romantic breakfast for one and was able to organise to get back to Zambia before the heat of the day really set in.
After getting to the Botswana check point it was on to a cargo ferry along with two trucks and a handful of other people wanting to get to the other side a short walk to the immigration office and that is where the fun began. Corrine still not feeling well started to feel really bad and fainted. All the workers were really good and helped and even got a taxi through to where taxis are not usually allowed to so we did not have to walk further than we had to. After the ride back in the taxi and getting ripped off by the driver of the cost of the fare, we settled back into our accommodation in Zambia only to find out the power had been out for the last few hours. We later find out there is a rolling stoppage every Tuesday and Sunday for an undefined period.
Back to school for Craig while Corrine spends some time recovering.
See you later
written by  craigandcorrine on November 13, 2011 from Kasane, Botswana

Sleeper Trains and Cruises
Luxor, Egypt
We boarded a sleeper train from Giza to Luxor. The Orient Express it was not. It was ok as long as you didn't need go to the toilet. We were glad for the tip of take your own toilet paper. Surprisingly we slept better than we thought we would.
Once in Luxor we were taken to the boat that we called home for four nights, we got settled and caught up on sleep. After lunch it was time to go on our first tour.
We met our tour guide in the lobby of our hotel, she was a treat. She kept on telling everyone that she had been in the business for 19 years, we thought that she would have learned some people skills in that 19 years we were wrong. It was like being thrown back in time and having that teacher at school that nobody likes. We were like students though and even gave her the nick name Drill Sergeant Cyclops, as she wore the most stupid sunglasses ever. She instructed everyone not to take photos of her, we did to obey her in fear that she would have eaten us alive.
In our tour group there were two other couples that we got along with very well and we spent most of our time with them. One of the couples even smuggled their own alcohol on board and of course we wanted to be friends with them!!
It was sad to leave the boat and our new friends, but hopefully one day we can all catch up and reminisce about our tour of all the wonderful sights we saw including The Valley Of the Kings and of course Drill Sergeant Cyclops.
written by  craigandcorrine on December 19, 2009 from Luxor, Egypt

Linda Community School – Week Two
Linda, Zambia
We learned so much this past week while volunteering at the school. We helped them with maths, science, social studies, English and of course more sport. We helped the kids write letters to students in Australian schools.
We were also able to put the money that everyone donated back at home to good use by going shopping with the principal of the school. We were able to buy much needed items such as teachers guides, work books, dusters for the black board, poster paper, reams of A4 paper, story books, cleaning supplies for the toilets, dictionaries, bags for all the balls that we took over and other bits and pieces. We were still unable to spend all the money so we gave the principal the rest to spend on more books and to go towards supplies for the new vegetable garden.
The money will even go towards one boy who doesn't have any shoes as his family are unable to afford to buy him any, that is if an old pair of Corrine's runners that she has given to the principal don't fit him. We are in two minds about the shoes that we have left. We hope that they fit him because they are still in good condition and at the same time we are hoping that they don't fit him because boys of that age should not have to wear second hand ladies shoes and will get a new pair from the money. Either way it will be an improvement on his current shoes that have been hand stitched back together.
We were able to see how some of the items we purchased make a direct impact on the school. The cleaning products for the toilets were put to immediate use as the toilets were in such a bad shape. After a but of hard work, and a few buckets of water along with the new disinfectant the toilets were now available for use by the students, the first time in months.
For our last day we gave the kids a special treat. We took in oranges, watermelon and fairy bread for them to enjoy but not before one of the kids (the one with out shoes) lead the rest of the class in a prayer to say thanks for us visiting the school and providing the food. It was amazing how much a couple of pieces of oranges and watermelon meant to the kids. Fruit such as oranges should not be seen as a treat for children, it should be something that any kid has the opportunity to enjoy. Some children even put the second piece of orange into their pockets for later on in the day but made sure it was out of sight from others so that they would be able to enjoy it on their own later on. This simple act of providing some fruit really highlighted to us the dire situation these kids face and some of the basics we accept as normal is not the norm for other places in the world. It was a huge reality check even after we thought we understood the situations the children faced.
We are absolutely amazed by the children and their ability to survive some heart wrenching conditions in their home environments and still turn up to class with a smile on their face and want to learn. We give a huge praise to Catherine, the head teacher at the school and the work she does, not only from an academic sense but also from a social welfare perspective. Although we have been out of the schooling system in Australia for a few years, the lengths that Catherine has had to go to to encourage the children to attend school and be involved, would surpass any community involvement that a principal would be required to complete in Australia.
The experience and time we spent with Linda Community School and the children is difficult to put into words, but one thing for sure is there will be a fund raiser held next year to raise funds for this school and to hopefully allow the teachers at the school to provide a more enriching learning environment for the children.
We now pack our bags for the last time on this journey, where we will then head to Johannesburg, a stop over for less than 24 hours, where we will catch up with some friends, before heading home.
See you at home!
written by  craigandcorrine on November 18, 2011 from Linda, Zambia

Shopping in Aswan is Bazaar.
Aswan, Egypt
Paris, Milan, London, New York, Aswan. Put it on your list for must do shopping. We had a great time wandering through the the open market or Bazaar in Aswan. We learned how to cut a good deal and picked up scarves made from quality Egyptian cotton, leather belts and even a t-shirt for a steal. The market was full of people trying to get tourists to buy their wears. They were all going to “make us a good deal” We learned quickly how to play the vendors off one another.
The stalls selling spices smelled fantastic and they had such a huge array.
You can even haggle down the price of a few bottles of water. How Bazaar.
written by  craigandcorrine on December 20, 2009 from Aswan, Egypt

Brrr!
Bridgend, United Kingdom
We finally arrived in the U.K, we even saw snow as we were leaving Heathrow. Neither of us have experienced cold weather like this so it was a shock to the system.
We eventually got to Bridgend in Wales. Where we are staying with Corrine's family for Christmas.
We had a good sleep last night and are now catching up on washing and enjoing being at home.
We are going to go and explore the town this afternoon and then hopefully will have more to tell you.
written by  craigandcorrine on December 23, 2009 from Bridgend, United Kingdom

Christmas in Wales
Bridgend, United Kingdom
Christmas this year was spent in the most unusual fashion.... cold.
Christmas Eve was spent in Cardiff watching iceskaters at the small fair that is set up called the Winter Wonderland. We even tried our luck at a game of ring toss and it seems luck was Craig's side (when the operator wasn't looking) and won a small bear. We threw some grinches and had a hot chocolate. After it got dark at about 4-30pm it was time to head back to Bridgend.
We woke up on Christmas day with our fingers crossed that it was going to be a white one. We had no such luck. There has been no new snowfall to make snow men out of. Instead we called all our loved ones back home in Australia which we guess comes a close second.
After lunch it was time for presents! We got unexpectedly spoilt but the highlight would have to have been watching Corrine's cousins toddler playing with all his new toys.
The next day we got to see some of the Welsh coastline, and lots of sheep, we hadn't seen any up until then. Neither of us had worn so many clothes to go to the beach but it was a good excuse to wear our new gloves, scarves and beanies that we had been given for Christmas.
Now it is time to go to Merry ol' England
written by  craigandcorrine on December 26, 2009 from Bridgend, United Kingdom

Exploring Cambridge
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Yesterday we rugged up and headed for the university town of Cambridge in the UK. The historical town is close to where Corrine's family live so it was a short bus ride in. Most of the ice on the paths had melted so it was easy to walk on the cobblestone paths.
We checked out the sights of the old colleges and even went for a ride on a punt, (Cambridge's answer to the gondala) along the River Cam. Even though Cambridge University is celebrating it's 800th birthday most of the building are older than that. One even being built by Henry the 8th.
The colleges have been home to some famous people over time, including Sir Isaac Newton, A A Milne (the creator of Winnie the Pooh) and even Prince Charles. One of the libraries houses original illustrations from Winnie the Pooh and first editions of Shakespere. I don't think they are available for loan though. It is said that Shakespere even got a lot of his insperation from Cambridge, it is easy to see why.
Cambridge is a very pretty town and we are going to make a big call and say it is probably one of the most romantic spots in the world. If you are in the area go and visit.
written by  craigandcorrine on December 29, 2009 from Cambridge, United Kingdom

Hopping around London with Froggy
London, United Kingdom
Jumped on the train to the home of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, thats right folks ... London.
We didn't chose the best day to go considering it has been the only day it has rained while being in the U.K. It rained all day and into the night.
Our first stop was to have a cup of tea with Lizzie, but the old bird double booked so we watched the changing of the guards instead. Disappointed that Lizzie had forgotten that we were coming we did the next best thing, caught up with Jay an Aussie friend for lunch in a pub.
After saying our farewells it was time to see if London Bridge was falling down. Thankfully it wasn't and we wandered over it in the wet. Onto Westminster Abbey which was the highlight for Corrine. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside and it was to wet out side. When you see the abbey on T.V you don't realise that there are so many nooks and crannies. We got to see the tombs of many famous and historical figures including Sir Isaac Newton.
After our trip to Westminster it was time to head on over to Leicester Square to meet up with another Australian friend, Christian or as we all know him - Froggy. We did something that is typically "Froggy" which was have dinner and go to a show. We saw Avenue Q which was fantastic. We had such a good time it was a real shame it had to end.
After spending the night at the Frog Mans it was a quick trip into Harrods and then back to Newmarket to count in the New Year.
written by  craigandcorrine on January 1, 2010 from London, United Kingdom

New Years Eve
Newmarket, United Kingdom
Happy New Year!!
We spent New Years with Corrine's family at her cousins House. It was a good night with three of her five aunts and uncles there. One that she had not even met before.
A lot of booze was consumed, a lot of bad photos of people were taken, a lot of hugs given and received. A few tears were also shed with the promise of trying to get the whole family together for another new years in the future.
It was a great night and it was sad that it had to end.
written by  craigandcorrine on January 1, 2010 from Newmarket, United Kingdom

Paris
Paris, France
We made it to Paris on the Euro Star. We went through snow covered fields through the North of France which was very pretty. Once we got to Paris though there, was no snow to be seen. Only very cold wind.
We got to our hotel, no view of the Eiffel Tower from our room but it was clean and a place to rest our heads after walking around all day. There was no fridge but we made do, Corrine came up with the great idea to keep our drinks out the window to keep them cold. Make sure you check out the photo. It worked great too.
Our first full day saw us get up early to go to the Louvre as it is free entry on Sundays. We had a relatively short wait in line, only about twenty minutes which we spent people watching. Once inside we checked out the Egyptian section, the second largest collection in the world, only to Egypt. We then made our way to see the most famous lady in the whole of Paris, Mona Lisa, the crowds surrounding the famed painting were unbelievable. People were pushing and shoving, We don't think that they realise that she is not going anywhere. One lady even put her hand on Corrine's shoulder and pulled her out of her way to get to the front. It was ruthless!
Next stop was the Eiffel Tower where we joined the masses and climbed up the stairs. A few hundred steps later we were at the viewing platforms on the tower. The journey back down was a little bit easier. We failed to see what was so romantic about it, waiting in line with thousands of other people then climbing up with your legs getting more and more tired each step then once on the viewing platform with loads of other people. It was so cold that everyones nose was running. NOT ROMANTIC AT ALL!!!
As night settled in on Paris, we saw the Eiffel Tower under lights then we traveled to the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees. Where we walked down the street and took in the atmosphere.
The next night we checked out the outside of Moulin Rouge which was very pretty. After wandering the streets of Paris it was time to go back to the hotel and rest up for our journey to Amsterdam.
Blog you later
written by  craigandcorrine on January 4, 2010 from Paris, France

Beer and red lights
Amsterdam, Netherlands
After traveling a few hours and swapping trains a couple of times we were finally in Amsterdam, the city famous for it's coffee shops as well as it's red light district. We got into Amsterdam in the evening and by the time we got to the hotel there was not much to do except for a walk through the red light district, this is what we did.
I must say it would not have been as seedy if there were no tourists walking around and gawking at the girls. We even saw a guy leave a little shop front looking very sheepish. We found it rather daunting walking down some of the alley ways that the shop fronts faces, with the girls calling out and trying to beckon would be clients. We found out that the reason for the “red light” is because many years ago when sailors had finished a long stint at sea they came into the town to look for some entertainment and the women that were available used to wear little red lights around their necks.
The next day we went to the Anne Frank museum which was an incredible experience, the museum is the house that Anne Frank and her family hid out until the day that they were taken away by the Nazis to different concentration camps. Unfortunately Anne only died one month before liberation, thinking that she was the only one left surviving from her family. Her father survived the was and it was him, Otto Frank that decided to try and get Anne's diary published. Since the 60's the house has opened it's doors to countless tourists wanting to see and in turn paying respect to Anne and her family. If you are ever in Amsterdam this is a must see.
We then got to see more of Amsterdam's past when we visited the Amsterdam Dungeon. This was an interactive and educational ghost tour. It included a mini ghost train styled roller coaster to finish.
Next was the Heineken Experience where we toured the original Heineken factory and got to see how the Heineken brand has changed over time. Included free tastings which went down very well.
To top the day off whilst walking towards the Heineken Experience we got to experience walking around the streets of Europe whilst it was snowing. Such a weird feeling but totally cool. There was enough snow by the evening that little snowmen were appearing all over the place.
Now off to Berlin where the weather reports are saying it will be a maximum temperature of -6 degrees. Looking forward to it.
Blog you later
written by  craigandcorrine on January 6, 2010 from Amsterdam, Netherlands

Blizzards and Berlin
Berlin, Germany
Another Train Journey, another major European city, Berlin the stop this time. After settling into our Best Western accommodation (almost felt like home except for the white stuff on the ground outside the hotel and the freezing cold weather) we ventured out a visited a German Pub for a meal and a German beer.
After advice received in Amsterdam, our first museum stop was the German Historical Museum. We saw that Germany did in fact have some history before the both World Wars but that history involved what seemed to be a lot of different wars, including a 'thirty year war'. Got to touch some medieval clothing and see a lot of clothing, posters, letters and military weapons from over the years.
We then visited Checkpoint Charlie and its museum. This point and area was one of the major crossing points between East and West Berlin whilst the wall was up. It was amazing to read some of the stories and tales of the lengths people went to get from East to West Berlin.
Night time in Berlin and it was ghost tour time. We met up with our night watchman and he took us around the Nikolai Quarter, the home of Medieval Berlin and recounted many stories of what happened back in the day. We got to finish the tour off with a drink in the oldest Berlin Pub dating back to the 16th century. For those who are interested in medieval history of Berlin check out www.baerentouren.de
Next day the snow had started to fall again and we decided to go on a city bike tour. We had half expected it to be canceled due to the weather but Tom our tour guide warned us that it was going to be bloody cold and there will be some bad jokes. He was right on both accounts! What started off as light snow falling turned into the closest thing to a blizzard we have seen, however Tom gave us a great insight into the history of Berlin and we visited all the major sights, including Hitlers Bunker where he committed suicide, the only watch tower left standing that soldiers kept watch in to make sure no one escaped from East to west while the wall was up and of course the Berlin Wall, what small part of it that is left standing anyway.
Corrine will never forget Checkpoint Charlie after her little incident. She managed to lose control of the bike and fell over doing the splits, because of the slippery surface it required both Craig and another man to help her back on her feet. For those who visit Berlin in the future be sure to check out Fat Tire Bike company. www.fattirebiketours.com/berlin We had a great time and it was well worth being in the freezing cold.
Next door to the hotel was a little kebab shop that had some great food. It was there Corrine decided that she wuvs wodka.
For those heading to Berlin thinking that all Berlin has to offer is pubbing and clubbing you are going to miss out on a load of stuff. Berlin has a fantastic history both very old and very recent, make sure you check it all out.
Tomorrow we head off to Prague.
Blog you later
written by  craigandcorrine on January 10, 2010 from Berlin, Germany

A castle a clock and cheap drinks.
Prague, Czech Republic
Our train out of Berlin took us to the beautiful city of Prague in the Czech Republic. We were continually amazed at the intricate beauty of the baroque and Gothic buildings that defines this city.
We had a look at the famous Castle that overlooks the city and imagined that we were the king and queen. We even had a look at the dungeon that held the prisoners and even the medi-evil devices that would have kept the criminals restrained ... OUCH
We went on a Ghost Tour and learned about some of the executions and the like that happened in the middle ages and even saw where the Knights Templar Prague Headquarters used to be.
The astronomical clock was an awesome spectacle with all the dials ands hands although neither of us could tell the time from it. On the hour two little doors open and statues of the 12 apostles rotate. A moving statue of a skeleton "rings" the bell.
Unfortunately the Tyn Church was closed while we were there due to Climatic Reasons, we can only guess what that actually meant.
One thing we did see a lot of were fire engines racing along to remove ice and icicles that were hanging down from building that were melting and causing dangerous hazards for the people driving and walking underneath them. It was very strange to see since we come from a part of the world that never sees snow.
After walking around on slippery train platforms, roads and footpaths it was in Prague that Corrine fell victim to the slippery-ness while stopping to let a car go by she slipped and fell, the only injury was pride.
The beer and vodka in Prague are so cheap, it is cheaper here to buy a pint of beer than it is to buy a bottle of water at home. Beer is so important to the Czechs the hop vine even features on the Coat of Arms.
written by  craigandcorrine on January 13, 2010 from Prague, Czech Republic

Auschwitz-Birkenau
Oswiecim, Poland
Arbeit Macht Frei - Work Makes you Free
Not for over a million Jews, political prisoners and others that were sent to death at the largest Nazi death camp that was used during the Second World War. This is where we visited today, it was a tough day. Not something that we can say that we enjoyed but something that we are finding hard to describe it is an experience that we will come away from never regretting and one that we think everyone should try and do, that way you can have a tiny glimpse of what millions of people had to endure. Even if fate did not take them to Auschwitz-Birkenau but to another camp. Even after spending a day there we still cannot comprehend what life would have been like for those poor souls who had to suffer through it.
We were going to put this blog with our Krakow one but thought that it deserved to be on its own.
We arrived at the infamous gate and walked through it all the time realising how lucky we are to be able to walk back out. You could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of sorrow, that only got worse as we saw material evidence of the atrocities that occurred not so long ago right where we were standing.
Glasses, combs, hairbrushes,artificial limbs, suitcases, shoes (around 10,000 pairs) and even pots and pans were piled high only showing a small percentage of what was really taken from the lives of people. Every thing that could be recycled was taken and that included human hair, which was reused for items such as blankets, clothing and rugs. A huge pile of human hair was on display, about two tons once again a small percentage of what would have been stored in warehouses. This isn't even taking into account the hair that had already been used for items including womens stockings. Unless you have seen it there is no way to describe the quantities that were there.
Something that struck us both was the shoe polish that was left behind, it made us really appreciate the fact that the people that were taken really believed that they were going to the East to start a new life. Would you take shoe polish to your death?
We got to see the gas chamber where people were sent to their death, some didn't even last a day, they were taken straight of the trains and marched to the gas chamber, these people were told that they were going to go for a shower and were even given soap to stop them from being suspicious. For the people in the camps that were no longer useful they knew what was about to happen to them, they were to frail to fight. We saw where the bodies of the dead were cremated, sometimes the crematoriums were running 24 hours a day just to try and keep up with the load.
It was a life changing experience and we know that we have missed so many things in this blog, but even writing about what we saw would never give justice to what you experience and get to take away with you while visiting.
written by  craigandcorrine on January 16, 2010 from Oswiecim, Poland

Cruising Cracow
Krakow, Poland
From Prague we visited Krakow, it took two trains. The second train we went on we did not think that we were ever going to get to our destination. The train was so old and rickety plus the heating did not really work. We breathed a sigh of relief once we finally arrived at the station.
Getting to the hotel was an easy walk. Then it was time to go and search the old town for food. We ate our first ever Georgian meal, it consisted mainly of cabbage and bread like products.
The next day we made our way to the Wawel Hill to the Castle and Cathedral, in the middle ages the hill is to said to have a dragon living in a cave underneath, a man tricked the Wawel dragon into eating sulpher by stuffing animal skins with the chemical, the dragon died and Krakow was safe once again. The Cathedral was very impressive, we got to see the crypts of saints and people who once ruled the city. Krakow's biggest export would have to Pope John Paul II who was the bishop at Wawel. There is a statue of the late pontiff and even some of his clothing that he would have worn as the Pope in the museum. The catholic community of Krakow are very proud of their home grown pope. Which is evident everywhere.
The next day we went to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, which have written a whole separate blog about if you want to check that out.
As we were getting off the tour bus Corrine rolled her ankle quite badly which put an end to our evening plans on hitting a pub or two. We will try again at a later stage.
On our final day in Krakow we went to Kazimierz which was once the thriving Jewish Quarter until WWII, the area is still trying to find its feet. The name Kazimierz may familiar to you since that is where Steven Spielberg filmed the movie Schindler's List. This is the actual town that Oscar Schindler actually had his factory and hired hundreds of Jews to make pots preventing them from certain death in concentration camps. Unfortunately for us the factory was not open so we could not have a look.
We both really enjoyed Krakow, it is a very beautiful city.
Our next stop will be to Ski, fingers crossed that there will be no more injuries.
written by  craigandcorrine on January 17, 2010 from Krakow, Poland

Zakopane ... Zako-Where???
Zakopane, Poland
We thought we needed a break from our regular sightseeing and decided to get away from it all in a small Polish skiing town called Zakopane. Which is two hours south of Krakow by bus. We arrived at the bus station and wisely caught a taxi to the hotel. Had we made our way by our selves we would have certainly gotten lost.
After checking into the hotel we checked out the closest ski run to the hotel, it was less than a five minute walk away. We made sure we knew where to go to hire ski equipment and booked a ski lesson for the next day.
The next day we made the short walk up to Polana Szymoszkowa and got decked out in ski boots and all, and went for our lesson. It is not as easy as it looks. We spent more time on the ground rather than upright on the skis. The young kids (who were shorter than our skis) were putting us to shame as they went whizzing past us in a blur. We went back to the hotel feeling rather defeated but determined to get better at our second lesson the next day.
Since skiing is such hard work and leaves you feeling very hungry even if most of the time you are actually on your bum, we went into town via a chair lift then a funicular to have some lunch and check out all the sights. The town was really nice with market stalls lining the streets. We had a great time browsing and checking out what was on offer. This became our pattern, spend time skiing then make our way into town for something to eat.
The next day after a much more successful lesson, it was time to brave the slope all by our selves. It was very scary but we did well with only Corrine falling over the once. By the end of the week we had finally gained a little bit more skill and a lot more confidence. We were finally enjoying our selves as we were skiing rather than being frightened for our lives the whole way down.
If Zakopane sounds familiar it might be because you follow such sports as ski jumping, during our stay here the World Cup Ski Jumping was on, so we went and checked it out. We learned that the Poles are crazy for their countrymen who are competing. The streets were full of vendors selling scarves, crazy hats. beanies and horns. We made our way up to the run (we think that is what it is called) and joined the hoards of people cheering. A few locals after finding out that we were Australia started treating us like we were celebrities, they were taking photos of us, gave us shots of vodka and even painted the Polish flag on our faces. It was great fun.
We realised why people in very cold countries drink vodka, it sure does warm you up. It does make for interesting times walking down the icy footpaths though. We had never seen so many people who all seemed to be drunk off all the shots of vodka that they had been having fall over. It was very amusing.
Our stay in Zakopane has been wonderful, even though not many people speak English everyone we have come across have been so accommodating and have gone out of their way to help us. We will always remember Zakopane with great fondness.
written by  craigandcorrine on January 23, 2010 from Zakopane, Poland

The hills are alive with the Sound of Music... well, underneath the snow
Salzburg, Austria
Our only stop in Austria was Salzburg, a town famous for being Mozart's birthplace and one of the greatest movies of all time, The Sound of Music. Yep thats right, the 1965 Musical starring Julie Andrews about the Von Trapp family who escaped the war. We had a look at the Abbey that Maria actually belonged too and where Maria and the Baron got married in real life. A couple of the scenes from the movie were actually shot there. The opening scene where Maria is running late for mass.
We also checked out the Mirabell Gardens where most of the scenes for Do Rae Mi where filmed with Maria and the children skipping around fountains and running through tree lined footpaths. We also saw the statues that are in film. Our only regret was that we did not see it in all its glory during Spring or the start of summer when all the flowers would be in full bloom.
Aside from The Sound of Music factor that did feature heavily on our stop in the cute cobblestoned streets of Salzburg we had a look at the Medieval Fortress Festung Hohensalzburg. Which dates back 900 years. The fortress was built on the highest part of the city and offers really spectacular views of the city and the mountains, unfortunately for us we didn't come at the best time of the year for clear views to the mountains. While in old fortress we learned that if you did not have a crazy moustache you were probably not likely to ever be a ruler of Salzburg. This is bad news for Craig if he does want to try and become a ruler since he has trouble growing any facial hair.
After a morning strolling through the winding paths and checking out some of the very strange statues that are in the city we are heading to Munich which is going to be full of stein drinking frivolities including a trip to an Aussie pub for Australia Day.
written by  craigandcorrine on January 25, 2010 from Salzburg, Austria

The Washing disaster and beer
Munich, Germany
We made it to the beer capital of the world. Munich, famous for Oktoberfest. After being on the train all day we got to the hotel. What we did then will surprise everyone. Rather than go and check out one of many beer halls that Munich has to offer we washed our clothes. Thats right we did laundry.
Which turned out to be a disaster of epic proportions. We found out that we didn't need to travel to get to a laundromat, the hotel had washing facilities. We loaded up the machines and grabbed something to eat. Then it was time to dry them.... We loaded the wet clothes into the dryer turned it on and went to our room to watch a movie. Two hours later when the clothes were meant to be nice and dry Craig went down to collect them. The clothes had some how become wetter or so it seemed and the dryers would no longer work After dragging all our clothes, that were still literally dripping wet upstairs and spreading them out all round the room so they could dry, it was then that we noticed all our white clothes were an awful shade of pale blue. We determined that it wasn't anything that we had done it was the dodgy washing machine and dryer combo. We finally got to go to bed after 1am. Our room also happened to be one of the smallest rooms we have stayed in the whole trip.
The next day with some of the clothes still dripping we made our way into the heart of the city and took in the sights. We booked a food and beer trip for the evening and then went to see what Munich was all about, beer halls. We checked out Hofbraeuhaus, the biggest beer hall in the world. Where real men drink beer by the litre. We also had a traditional Bavarian lunch. Bavarian food consists of pork, whether that be in a sausage, meat loaf or roast form. On the side there is either dumplings, sauerkraut or potatoes.
That night we went on a tour to learn about where beer all started. We learned that in the medieval times beer was made by monks and it was classed as a food and not a beverage. We also learned that Oktoberfest was originally set around horse racing and other such events. We also sampled different types of beers and more sausages...
The next day we went to the Dachau Concentration Camp, this is where we learned about Hitlers coming to power, we were also informed that one year he was given the honour of being Time Magazines Man of the year. We had a look at the gas chambers and crematorium, even though the crematorium was used a lot no one is sure how much the gas chambers were used as Dachau was never used as an extermination camp. Most of the inmates died due to other reasons such as hypothermia, typhus and from malnutrition. One thing that we found surprising it that we can thank Hitler for the Olympic torch relay. He decided that it would be a good idea and to make it look like the world was one to have the torch travel around to give the feeling that the was no division in the world during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Next time you watch the Olympic Torch relay think about this.
Our final day in Munich saw us having a look at the 1972 Munich Olympic Stadiums where Shane Gould won two gold medals in the pool for Australia. This was also the Olympics where there was a terrorist attack on Israeli competitors. It is also the only 20th Century architecture that is a landmark in Munich.
On our final night we went back at the Hofbraeuhaus beer hall for a drink and some food. As the hall got busier we shared our table with two Germans who introduced us to the spirits on the menu. It was a very enjoyable night that included music, dancing and beer of course. It was a shame we met our new friends on our last night in the wonderful city. We are sure if we had met them earlier they would have taken us under their experienced beer drinking wings. It always does seem the way when traveling though.
written by  craigandcorrine on January 29, 2010 from Munich, Germany

Pasta, Pizza, Pizzoccheri and Polenta
Ispra, Italy
Deciding we needed a holiday within our holiday we headed towards Ispra in Italy, town where some of Craig's relatives live. After a marathon 10 hour – 3 different trains – journey we got picked up at a train station by Giambi and Luca, some of Craig's Italian cugini (cousins). After the formalities of the hugging and kisses on the cheek (3 in Italy) we headed off to Ispra. 'Casa di Mario e Liboria' was our accomodation for the three nights over the weekend. We got a great feed that night of pasta, schnitzels and potatoes, and as always we finished with some good chunks of cheese. We also got a quick refresher course in Italian with Luca and Robi (Giambi's wife) doing a bit of translating and teaching...
After a nice sleep in, and waking up to temperatures above zero whilst being in mainlaind Europe, it was time for some more of Liboria's wonderful cooking, Pizzoccheri. Strange sounding name, strange looking pasta but lots of potatoes, pasta and plenty of cheese make up this pasta dish.
We stuffed ourselves to the brim and decided we needed to walk some of it off so we headed into Varese, the local city. Giambi, Robi and Luca showed us the sights of the city, some shops and we stopped by a local cafe for some hot chocolate. For those that have not tasted European hot chocolate, imagine melting a block of Cadbury chocolate, pouring it into some mugs and serving with a hefty blob of whipped cream on top. Very rich but also very nice.
That night involved going out at a local restaurant with some of Giambi and Robi's friends and having some more traditional Italian food, rissotto and pizza with sausage and potato chips on it.
Our final day in Ispra involved a healthy serving of Polenta (mmm, more cheese) for lunch, a nice walk near the lake, saying hello to more of Craig's family, eating some freshly made pastries by Giambi and finally watching a game of football with a drink in hand. Juventus ended up drew 1 all but a great day to end our trip to Ispra.
Next stop Lichtenstein, the 6th smallest, country in the world. We will actually be staying in Austria, near the border as there are not many hotels in Lichtenstein, can't blame them really, as the country is only 6km wide!
written by  craigandcorrine on January 31, 2010 from Ispra, Italy

Feldkirch & Kegelbahn
Feldkirch, Austria
What looked like a complicated journey from Ispra to Feldkirch with train changes at Milan, Zurich, Schaan, Buchs proved to be a breeze. Maybe this was due to the Italian food given by Mario and Liboria. 2 bottles of prosecco (sparkling wine), some cheese, bresola and salami. We had a great feast on the train whilst watching the lakes and mountains pass by,
Feldkirch, Austria is a little town that is close to the Switzerland, Lichtenstein, German borders, a total change from what we are expecting when we head to the mayhem of New York over the weekend.
It was another place where English was not very common at all we navigated around the town quite well on the buses and footpaths. It was a very quaint little town with a medieval square one of the highlights. Also for those who are travelling through smallish towns, don't trust the churches as a location marker as we found out. What Craig thought may have been church across the road from the hotel, turned out to be wrong and we had to wait another 15 minutes in the cold for the next bus. Although this was a great time to let the beer, just purchased from the supermarket, chill off in the ice on the footpath. Ended up being a sign that the beer was very ordinary and the worst Craig had tasted all trip.
On our final night we went to the basement level of the hotel and found the local Kegelbahn alleys. A game with nine pins (all attached to strings, no need for fancy machines) and smaller balls than ten pin bowling, provided for a couple of hours entertainment. We even got to witness a local competition happening on adjacent lanes. For the record Corrine's name goes down as the Copes Kegelbahn Champion and gets her name on the wall alongside plaques from competitions dating back to the 60's between Austria, Germany and Switzerland held at this venue. It is a shame we had to rub her name off the blackboard and leave it clean for the next players.
written by  craigandcorrine on February 2, 2010 from Feldkirch, Austria

Vaduz – Liechtenstein
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
After briefly seeing the country on the way through to Feldkirch and only 20 minutes away by bus we decided to visit Vaduz, the capital city of the 6th smallest country on the planet. It was a nice walk around the city (it only has 35,00 residents) and is amazing that a prince who lives in his castle up on the mountain overlooking the city still rules. We did read that once a year he opens the castle and invites all the residents of the town to join him for a drink. Was quite strange seeing postcards of him in all the souvenir shops.
Also we visited the Prince's winery and tasted some local wine and even saw some Australian wines showcased with other wines from around the world in the Cellar. Saw some strange looking horse statues and enjoyed the balmy weather of 8 degrees which saw us eat lunch outdoors and earn the name “Vikings” according to one of the locals.
written by  craigandcorrine on February 3, 2010 from Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Red Lights and Bum Bum
Frankfurt, Germany
Our final night in Europe was in Frankfurt. Another long train journey but we arrived with spirits high, a little tired but spirits high. After forgetting to write down the address of the hotel, the first time in all of Europe, we set about navigating blindly the 5-10 minute walk from the central station. We read the hotel information display and found an address. Karlrhustrasse was the street name we were looking for. We had a good look on a big map as we left the station and headed towards Karlstr. This was where our 5-10 minute walk turned into a good 30-40 minute walk, including a stop at an English Pub for directions, walking through the local red light district and finally returning back to the train station carrying all our luggage. Turns out Karlstr. stands for Karlstrasse not Karlrhustrasse!
We went back to the English Pub for tea where Craig had a meat pie and chips and Corrine enjoyed a nice seafood salad. Aside from the meals with our families this meal would be one of the best we had in Europe. On the way back to hotel we called into a supermarket and a couple of items caught our attention. The first one was Dickmans puddings but the one that really caught our eye was the Bum Bum icecream. It was cold outside but like two little kids we decided we couldn't resist buying one each and trying it out. Our first Bum Bum experience was quite an enjoyable one.
Off to the airport and head off to New York City.
written by  craigandcorrine on February 5, 2010 from Frankfurt, Germany

New York, New York, Yankees, Knicks and Rangers.
New York, United States
We left Europe and headed towards the USA. We left from Frankfurt in Germany, going through baggage screening Corrine's bag got taken aside. There was a butter knife in there left over from one of our long train journeys. The man screening the bag was very good and was even going to let Corrine take it on board with her. We let him keep it.
Once in NY we struggled our way to our hotel with our bags which weighed 21 and 26kg. The subway was one of the most scariest thing that we had ever experienced. We finally got to the hotel with out any stab or gun shot wounds. Yay we had survived our first 45minutes in The Big Apple.
It was time to eat so we headed to a burger joint that we had heard that was good. The place offers 50 different types of burgers. After struggling through the menu and after asking lots of questions, there were so many strange words on there. The food lived up to it's reputation.
After an early night and a very good night's sleep we went out for breakfast and hired bikes for a cycle around Central Park. We saw lots of squirrels. Since it was Superbowl Sunday we headed into Times Square, we were lucky and snagged a spot at the ESPN Zone, which is a bar/restaurant. We didn't really understand but we had a great time. Everyone seemed to be very happy that the Giants won, and every one was saying what a great thing it is for New Orleans.
The next day we went up the 82 floors to the observation deck of the Empire State Building. The elevators were very fast. It was extremely windy on the deck and you couldn't spend much time up there as it was so cold. We also made the ferry trip to Liberty Island, home of The Statue of Liberty. The statue really wasn't as big as we imagined. We also both thought that Lady Liberty looks like a man in a dress.
We went and had a look at Times Square and discovered that there is a whole store dedicated to M&M's! Could you even get a better shop?? After catching a stand up comedy show that was in a basement starring Craig Carmean, and getting made fun of by the comedians we stopped by a street vendor selling kebabs on the way back to the hotel, (just like in the movies) We grabbed one and it was fantastic and full of late night kebab goodness.
One thing that New York has to offer is sports! We started our sporting tour off with as mentioned above in a bar for Superbowl Sunday, we continued it with a tour at Yankee Stadium including going into the players locker room and the dug out. It was by far the coolest thing we did while in New York. Even though neither of us really follow baseball we will be coming home as fans of the Yankees. That night it was off to see the Knicks play at Madison Square Garden. The home team blew a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter and went down by 4 in overtime. We thought that the atmosphere was going to be a lot more intense that it was but it did pick up in the 4th and overtime. We are also the proud owners of a big bright orange foam finger that we bought at the Garden.
Our sporting excursion did not end there, we found the NHL store and marveled at all the merchandise that one can buy, including a golf putter that looks like a hockey stick. The next night we went to a game to see what this crazy game is all about, we still don't know. Since the game was not a sell out we decided to upgrade our selves to better seats. We sat down and a kid next to us threw up!! Karma is a bitch, although we must have done something nice cos we moved closer to the rink (using the spew kid as an excuse) and ending up talking to some really nice people who gave us a couple of Rangers beer cups to take home with us, all because we were from Australia.
Our trip to New York had finally come to an end and it is now off to LA for a couple of nights before going to Vegas and Disney Land.
Blog You Later.
written by  craigandcorrine on February 11, 2010 from New York, United States

LA - Round One
Los Angeles, United States
We arrived in LA after flight made very long by awful passengers behind us, they were a teenage brother and sister who's mother was sitting next to them but didn't care that they were hitting and kicking each other and our seats at the same time. Craig had to say something to them it got that bad, the mother of the brats gave Craig a dirty look.
It was a flying visit to LA starting with an NHL game at the Staples Center which was fantastic. Unfortunately LA Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers is a 10 round shoot out. We went back to the hotel tired and ready for a good nights sleep.
The next day we went to Universal Studios and checked out all the things to see there including the back lot, we were not lucky enough to any celebrities though. Highlights of the back lot would have to be the Desperate Housewives Wisteria Lane set, and the war of the worlds set where the plane crash is. We also saw where Jaws was filmed. It was very interesting to see some of the tricks of the trade. We went into the “warehouse" to see where Back Draft was filmed and saw the place “on fire”.
We checked out some of the rides, there was no lining up for us because we bought front of the line passes, something that I would recommend for an extra $20 each. the Simpson's ride was very good considering we didn't move anywhere, it is a 3D screen and a “car” that you sit and shakes and jolts you around. The Mummy ride was pretty crazy with a sudden jolt then you go backwards. It was a warm up for what is to come at Disneyland.
written by  craigandcorrine on February 13, 2010 from Los Angeles, United States

Las Vegas, M&Ms and a big hole in the ground
Las Vegas, United States
We arrived in Las Vegas on the bus from hell, it was the hottest bus in the world, well that is probably a slight exaggeration, but it wasn't pleasant. We checked in to The Luxor and then went in search for food. The casino in the hotel was not as impressive as we thought it was going to be. Maybe it is because we have a casino at home so it wasn't really anything new for us.
The next day it was an early start to go the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam, it didn't take that long to get the dam which didn't look as big as we imagined it was going to be. Although you can't actually get as close to is as you used to be able to since there are always threats to it. Security had to search the bus before we could even drive over it. Not only does the dam provide water for many people it also provides electricity for LA. From there it was a long drive to the Grand Canyon which included a couple of stops in very unusual places. We even saw “coon hats” which seemed to be fury hats with some sort of animal tail attached to the back of it.
We finally arrived at the big hole in the ground, it was a great sight to see. It looks just like it does on post cards, which make you wonder if you are looking at a giant back drop. After seeing two different places around the canyon it was time to head back to Vegas, but the fun did not stop there, five minutes from our stop the bus blew a water hose. Another bus and driver came to our rescue and we were back to the hotel. We had a bite to eat with a new friend that was on the tour with and also had a cocktail that made Corrine rather ill. There was cream on the top and that is the only thing that we can think that made her ill during the middle of the night.
The next day we walked the strip and checked out the was going on. We picked up tickets for Cirque du Solei, Mystere and had a great time at the show that night. The performance was stunning and every act that came out was better than the one before. The show blurred the lines between human and animal with the way that the performers moved and the things that they were doing such as climbing up poles like monkeys.
As we were leaving the theater extremely satisfied we were handed coupons for buy one get one free cocktail at the bar where we happened to have lunch just next to the theater. We figured lunch was good we will go and have a quiet drink there. The coupon said one per person. After two cocktails each the bartender who happened to look like Toadie off Neighbours told us to go grab some more so we could continue to get half price cocktails. We did and thats when the night took a turn. There was also a competition for the bar tenders to see you could throw the cocktail shakers around the best when making a cocktail, for some reason which eludes our memories this turned into free shots for everyone in the bar, one was given to us in a glass and the next was given to us poured into our mouths straight from the bottle by the bar tender who was standing on the bar at this stage. The bar eventually closed and we hung around with our new friends that we had met for a while longer. It was time to make our way back to the hotel which was at the other end of the strip. We caught the bus but somehow missed our stop. We ended up a 45minute walk past our hotel. When we finally went to bed it was close to 6 in the morning.
The next day after less than three hours sleep. Crawled out of bed and made our way down to the all you can eat buffet. You pay $30 and you can keep going back all day. After picking at breakfast which we were sure our very hungover bodies were going to reject we went and had another look at the strip including the Coca-Cola and M&M's store. At the Coke Store we bought a sample tray of all the different soft drinks of around the world. There were some very strange things on the tray. After trying them all we decided it wasn't the smartest idea in the state that we were in. (we are not talking about being in Nevada either). From there we went to the second M&M's store of our American Leg of our trip. Even though the Las Vegas one is the original and the apparent best we both thought that the New York one was better. We checked out the old Vegas where all the wedding chapels are and even saw the chapel that Britney Spears got married in.
That night we went to the Criss Angel BeLIEve show, it was so good. Corrine is in love. The illusionist is a master and every trick he did kept us wondering how he did it. The show combined just enough comedy with the magic. Even though our bodies were screaming for sleep we ignored the screams and went and checked out the Mirage Volcano show and the Bellagio fountain show. Both shows were quite impressive and certainly worth a look. We then walked back to the hotel to get some sleep before the early bus departure for Anaheim.
written by  craigandcorrine on February 18, 2010 from Las Vegas, United States

The kids signing our shirt

The boys of Grade 6

Us with some of the kids

Corrine with the kids

The final day party

The class writing their letters to their new pen pals

Children writing their letters

Kicking the footy

Children learning to handball

Pumping up the balls

Us in Devils Pool

The view from the pool

Look closely you will see some people in Devils Pool

Craig looking over the edge

Craig jumping into Devils Pool

On the Zambezi

African Sunset

The gorge

Sunset over the bay

Before going up Table mountain

A sample of the sporting equipment to take to Zambia with us!

Fountains at Bellagio

The Eiffel tower at night

The volcano show at the Mirage

One of the many little wedding chapels

Just cruising the strip...

Testing 16 different varieties of Coke products from around the world

The MGM Grand

A view of Las Vegas Boulevard

Las Vegas Blvd Sign

Outside our hotel - the Luxor

The Luxor sign

Craig being an Asian for a second

Us at Grand Canyon - The wide angle lens in use

The Grand Canyon

The Hoover Dam

Us outside Staples Center

Craig with Homer and Bart

Kwik-E-Mart

War of the Worlds set at Universal Studios

A hotel used in many movies at Universal Studios

The Grinch that stole christmas set at Universal Studios

New movie being shot at Universal Studios

The original Knight rider car

The LA Kings hit the ice

LA Lakers championship banners at Staples Center

Lago di Maggiore

In Varese with Luca, Giambi and Robi

Us with Giambi and Robi at Lago di Maggiore

Craig and Luca

Mario

The clock tower

New friends!

Where has my beer gone?

Us at Hofbraeuhaus

Old building Munich - can't remember name...

Munich Olympic Stadium

Us on Australia Day in Australian Pub in Munich

The Dom in Salzburg

Craig and the Dom

One of the many mountains surrounding Salzburg

Some of the statues used in The Sound of Music

Pegasus Statue in middle of fountain used in The Sound of

Austrian Signs... Mozart and a violin

Corrine with one of the many strange statues scattered throughout Salzburg

Corrine standing where the Von Trapp family runs past

Us at the fountain used using Do Rae Me

Sign on the fence

The fences surrouinding the camp

Watch tower at Auschwitz-Birkenau

Main entrance to Auscwitz-Birkenau

Gas Chamber and Crematorium at Auschwitz

The entrance to the Gas Chamber and Crematorium

Electrified barbed wire fence around the camp

View of all some of the barracks

The exit from the prison into the courtyard where the death penalty was carried out

Entrance to Auschwitz

Where the executions used to take place. Old town hall.

From the Palace

The Tyn Church

The Tyn at night.

The King and His Queen

St Vitus Catherderal

Where did the cars go?

Astronomical Clock

Clock Tower

Old Watch tower over looking where the wall used to be. The only one standing today.

A picture of before a night tour.

A sign at Check Point Charlie

The Jewish Memorial covered in Snow

Us with the only remaining part of the Berlin Wall

Check Point Charlie

Corrine a few moments before she fell off her bike

Corrine being a bear

Us at Parliament House

On the streets of Berlin...What the...

Us at Brandenburg Gate

Street of our Hotel

Snowman - not ours

Minus 6 today

The new Heineken Logo!

Heineken Health Affairs

Corrine walking in the snow

Corrine measuring the depth of the snow

View from the Eiffel

Us on the Eiffel

Us at the Louvre

Eiffel Tower

Moulin Rouge

Hotel Fridge

Corrine at Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe

In Cambridge

Setting Sun

College Tower

Shadow of Craig

Craig on the Punt

St Johns College

Bridge

Whacking Grinches

The closest we have been to ice skating

Dylan in his WCE gear.

Icy Roof

Icy Roads in Bridgend