Phuket (Thailand) - Just come and 'Relak'

PHUKET (Thailand)
05 November - 09 November 2018

We didn't deliberately go about formulating a plan to holiday with Inga's brother and his fiancee in Thailand but as luck with have it, whilst sitting in their rooms on the other side of the world, conjured up a plan to head to Thailand at exactly the same time we were going. Family bonds, there's got to be some undiscovered connection there somewhere.

Inga & I were set up in the very good Hyatt Regency Hotel, in Kamala. Being 10kms away from the centre of Patong, it afforded us the ability to get away from the touristic throngs in Patong itself and to have our peace and quiet by the pool for as long as we wanted.

Hyatt Regency Resort - Kamala - Phuket Island - Thailand

Hyatt Regency Resort - Kamala - Phuket Island - Thailand

Hyatt Regency Resort - Kamala - Phuket Island - Thailand

The resort itself had some great views and those from our room, out to the Adaman Sea, was quiet beautiful and soothing. So to were the views from the infinity pool by the club room, which also served snacks and drinks in the afternoon and the evening. 

On most days we went into Patong with our landing point being Bangla Street. And you know, this area was actually quite disappointing. It's a street filled with seedy bars, 'go-go' dancers, i.e., strippers/prostitutes, banging dance clubs and generally all things that are wrong with mass tourism. I mean I'm no prude, there's a place for all those things but the concentration of them in this area doesn't even make for an entertaining spectacle, or even one that's moderately amusing. It's just a whole bundle of noise and junk that is both tacky and sordid. It drips with sleaze, which means that the roads in its immediate vicinity gets a large brush of influence and adopts the same type of practice.

Bangla Walking Street - Phuket - Thailand

Patong Beach - Phuket - Thailand

A couple of days after our arrival we caught up with Davis & Annija who had island hopped their way over to Phuket. It was great to catch up with them both. The last time I saw them was when I left at the end of January. It was also the first time that we'd be doing some travel together since our trip to Georgia in 2016. Thinking back to that time, its incredible at how things had changed. Inga & I weren't even engaged back then and Davis & Annija weren't even a couple, roll forward to 2019 and all statuses are different. Inga & I have just celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary (with our son Aiden), and David & Annija were married in May. Time can change all things.

Hyatt Regency Resort - Kamala - Phuket Island - Thailand

Hard Rock Cafe - Phuket - Thailand

What? - Phuket - Thailand

Phuket Island - Thailand

Tuk-Tuk galore - Phuket - Thailand

Buckets of drinks! Awww yeah!

All love and mungbeans after drink buckets - Phuket - Thailand

On one of our days together we decided to head our to James Bond island, known as Khao Phing Kan island, located in Phang Nga Bay, north east of Phuket, it is one of many islands that are limestone karst towers that protrude from the waters of the bay. It acts as a famous landmark in this particular area as it formed quite the distinctive backdrop in the well known James Bond movie, Man with the Golden Gun.  

Phang Nga Bay - Thailand

Phang Nga Bay - Thailand

Phang Nga Bay - Thailand

 Khao Phing Kan island - Thailand

 Khao Phing Kan island - Thailand

 Khao Phing Kan island - Thailand

 Khao Phing Kan island - Thailand

The day out on the water was a real pleasure and in many ways I felt thankful for being able to steer clear of Phuket itself which to me had already established itself as a nuisance.

Hard Rock Cafe - Phuket

Whilst our time together, and in Phuket in total, was short, I have to say that we did have a reasonable time. I would say that if we chose to come to Thailand again in the future we would probably take in a few other islands and spent a bit of time in Bangkok. As for Phuket town itself, well, that remains a disappointment. With that said, the island itself does appear to have some real beauty but you can see the blight of tourism coming and the scars that large resorts will make on the landscape. I would doubt that the Thai's would either have the gumption, will or monetary might to combat what will be an environmental tragedy. The decision is theirs of course.

Singapore (Singapore) - I want it that way

SINGAPORE (Singapore)
03 November - 05 November 2018

I'm not even sure where the genesis of this getaway formed. I know that the Melbourne Cup public holiday offering made this week in November attractive for the 'buy 4 get one free' proposition, and perhaps Thailand, with its beaches, palm trees and generally higher rates of attractive features somehow quickly became the ideal location in Inga's mind and entered mine with a bullet as my memory of Thailand was limited to what I experienced in Bangkok as a three year old.

The cheapest way to Thailand was through Singapore, which for us was the perfect option. Another stopover and another country for Inga to add to her ever expanding list, which now stands at a highly admirable 57! Putting runs on the board that girl!

Jln Pinang Street - Singapore

I'd been to Singapore three times previously but considering the last occasion was in '95, and also considering that this city only stands behind Dubai in terms of growth and construction, a near 25 year hiatus would be like landing on the moon to find it colonised (not a great analogy but you get the meaning).

Basing ourselves at a sister hotel of the Pan Pacific (Melbourne), as we were graciously provided discounts through Inga's place of work, we were located across the road from Arab Street. An area filled with textile shops, cafes and more textile shops. Although explore a little further and you'll discover Jln Pinang Street and Jln Pisang, which both deliver bars and restaurants in abundance. Unwittingly we landed in a cool hotspot, (that's got to be a contradiction, right? :))

Hard Rock Cafe - Sentosa Island - Singapore

OCBC Skyway - Singapore

Marina Bay Sands - Singapore

Marina Bay Sands - Singapore

Our second day we spent at Universal Studios on Sentosa island and followed that up with a visit to the downtown core, interrupted by a karaoke booth stop to sing the Backstreet Boys classic, I want it that way, which is the common thing to do when the sky is ripped open and the rain comes down, pelting the woman and children.

Merlion - Singapore River - Singapore

Merlion - Singapore River - Singapore

Anderson bridge -Singapore River - Singapore

Merlion - Singapore River - Singapore

Singapore River - Singapore

Singapore at night is a completely different proposition to its daytime demeanour. The night lights offer a completely different dimension to the city, so the area from the mouth of the Singapore River, across to the Marina Bay, simply lights up. Notable in the skyline is the three tiered platform hotel of Marina Bay sands. The location of many Instagram photos, the inspiration of which is the mighty infinity pool, it stands as a reminder that Singapore has lofty ambitions of its own, and it will act upon those.

Marina Bay Sands - Singapore

Supertree Grove light show - Gardens by the Bay - Singapore

Supertree Grove light show - Gardens by the Bay - Singapore

Supertree Grove light show - Gardens by the Bay - Singapore

Supertree Grove light show - Gardens by the Bay - Singapore

Another absolute treat in the area is the Gardens by the Bay. A nature park in the heart of the city is a wonderful place to visit, and the Supertree grove, with its associated light show, provides an Avataresque type of experience that's not to be missed. A real highlight, even more so considering that entry here is totally free.

Gold Coast (Australia) - Return of the boy from Oz

GOLD COAST (Australia)
07 March - 11 March 2017

Arriving back 'home' felt good. I think what you miss when you're away are more of the small things, happenings in your daily life that you might take for granted, a way of speaking, a friendly smile, a typical joke, items in the supermarket. These aren't major concerns or elements that cause a nuisance when you're away, as they're always replaced with either something different or better, but something needs to be said for the substance of familiarity. Things that are familiar are safe. Not that I'm concerned about safety but being home gives you a level of comfort where you can feel safe.

Working from home? Gold Coast - Queensland - Australia

International Woman's Day - Gold Coast - Australia

A visit to Brisbane to see if the Gold Coast to Brisbane daily commute was a viable option.

Answer - NO

Brisbane - Queensland - Australia

The Gold Coast wasn't meant to be any sort of extension of our Arrival holiday, in fact, we had originally had it slated as the place where we would live. A decision that we originally made for reasons of weather and access to, well, everything cool. The issue with the Gold Coast, for the moment, is that it's not a mecca for jobs, and I didn't really consider us to be in the position where we could wait around for 6 months until something eventuated. It may however be our final destination in the future but that needs to remain on hold for a little while.

Arriving in Melbourne!

Welcome Home!!

We spent a few days on the Gold Coast before heading to our new home, Melbourne. During that time we caught up with Jay, who at that time was at the start of a journey that would take him to California. One going, and one coming back. Little did we both know that at this very time the next year both of us would be in the same cool position, excited and nervous expectant fathers.

And to kick-off the ARRIVAL HOME - here's a few photos from our first months in Melbourne

Elizabeth Street - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

First day of work with BAPL - a view out to the 'G'

Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

Our first rental - Garfield Street - Richmond - Victoria - Australia

Garfield Street - Richmond - Victoria - Australia

Garfield Street - Richmond - Victoria - Australia

Garfield Street - Richmond - Victoria - Australia

Our first car in Melbourne - the Ford Mustang Fastback EcoBoost

Good story - Inga & I rode up to the dealership on our bikes. Inga parked her pink bike at the front door. As we walked in the salesman looked as us, not quite sure what to make of two people turning up on bicycles.

20 minutes later he had a sale!

Garfield Street - Richmond - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

Garfield Street - Richmond - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

San Franciso (USA) - Don't Haight me

SAN FRANCISCO (USA)
02 March - 05 March 2017

This was it. The last stop on an incredible ride over the last three years that has taken me from Australia, and Inga, from Latvia, through South America, back to Australia, back to South America, through Europe, back to South America, to Europe, to Central America, to Europe, to South America, to the Middle East, to Europe, to the Middle East and now through the US. When you say it exactly like that, it's a little too hard to grasp, and even when we think of the time from 2015-2018 it feels like a hurricane of thoughts, images, hotel and airports. But for me at least, I wouldn't of had that time any other way. 

Not that I justify the amount of travel completely but when looking at my life from 18 yrs of age I spent nearly all of my time out of high school both studying and working. First I completed a B.Business, then a Masters in Economics, then a Juris Doctor, all the while working without purpose or direction, in the hope that my studies would elevate me to somewhere that I wanted to be. Of course, in hindsight that strategy was the arse backwards approach, where really, had I have started in an industry where I had a real interest and then studied something in parallel, well, I may have lined up things with far more wisdom and direction then I have up until this point.

The three years that we took to doing what we wanted is the trade-off for the 20+ yr grind. And I recognise that people may say do you think yourself entitled? To that I say, absolutely not, but why not take the opportunity when its there for you? How many people dream of doing things and then regretting the opportunities that they never took? I won't.

San Francisco surprised me. Occupying 75 square kilometres of hills at the tip of a slender peninsula around the southern entrance to San Francisco Bay, its actually very small. In my head I always considered San Francisco to be a major US metropolis, in the 2.5-3.5 million vicinity, and perhaps that's true if you take into account the combined area of San Jose - San Francisco and Oakland, but on it's own, San Francisco has a population of a little under 850,000, although, it is one of the might highly densely populated areas in the US, and certainly the most on the West Coast.

Presidio of San Francisco - California - USA

San Francisco - California - USA

San Francisco - California - USA

To get in here you need to have some type of wealth, the scarcity of land means that you're going to be paying through the nose for anything reasonable. Real estate prices are on par with Sydney, in fact, Inga and I, with the assistance of my friend Tia, went to an open house for a 2bdr/2bath/no car space in the cool suburb of Ashbury Heights and found an asking price of $1million. Probably not the extreme disaster when exchange rates were at parity but these days the conversion would get you close to $1.5m AUD. So when I think about what that could get you in either Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, then I'd say San Francisco is now forming a league of its own.

Alcatraz Island - San Francisco Bay - California - USA

San Francisco - California - USA

San Francisco - California - USA

To me San Francisco is kind of like the Australian version of Melbourne, being on the coast however still doesn't give it the power, or the right, to be identified as a beach bunnies getaway, it's not any sort of L.A. Temperatures are consistently in the mid 20's and Winter will get you into the 15's, which aligns to what we experience here in Melboutne. With that said, a lot goes on here, in spite of the weather, in spite of its small footprint, the ideas, political movements, hippie boho vibe, artistic endeavours, anything that you could want to be developed or imagined will probably get a creative spark from right here, and that makes the city desperately cool. What it packs into a small area is exactly the fist to the jaiw that can knock you out for the night - if you missed the idea I was going for there what  mean is that it packs a punch.

Pier 39 - Fisherman's Wharf - San Francisco - California - USA

Haight Street - Haight-Ashbury - San Francisco - California - USA

Hobbson's Choice Cafe - San Francisco - California - USA

Despite being a hilly town it's still relatively accessible and quite the attractive city. It's harbour is open &l arge and its entrance, punctuated by the Golden Gate bridge, quite the dramatic statement.

One of my favourite areas that we went to was Haight Street, as invited and directed by my friend and former OzEmail/UUNet/MCI WorldCom colleague, Tia Barnard. This street cuts through the well known Haight-Ashbury area and gives you access to cool bars, BoHo stores, restaurants and all many of other great things. It's very much like Brunswick Street in Melbourne or King Street in Newtown, you know its different and that's what makes its such a welcome change.

San Francisco - California - USA

San Francisco - California - USA

San Francisco - California - USA

And that my friends, was that. Three (3) years after leaving Australia, for what at the time I thought was going to be a permanent departure, now sees me coming back home, albeit to a different city. 

The Year Full of Saturdays has certainly had a wild ride and there were times when I thought that I'd dropped so far behind with my entries that catching up with be a total impossibility, and whilst I'm still not quite 100% on the mark, my arrival back to Australia puts my in a place where I consider myself to be very much in the ball park.

And so we wait for the next adventure.