Time for home

After a another dodgy bus trip with more priate movies, it was time to head back to Singapore, then back home.
What a great adventure - on our stop in SIngapore, we went to to Wishing fountain, and I certainly wished for the opportuity to have an equally fanatstic journey of adventure again soon

Sabah - Poring Hotsprings, and Orangutans

Off on the local bus to Poring Hot Springs, actually getting to the bus was an adventure, with bus touts steering us is right or wrong directions, but we finally ended up on one with we dodgy movie and 80's disco.
Our Destination was the Poring Hotsprings in the Mt Kinnabalu National Park, it lived up to it's name and was pouring with rain, but very cool.The Hot Springs were more like little bath tubs set on the side of the hill, full of large asian families soaking in a warm tub.

The highlight of the trip was our trip to the Orang utan reserve, which was magical~ something i don;t think any of us will ever forget. We stayed with Robert and lily Chang in their home, and saw their plans for a jungle river camp, which is high on my agenda for another time

Sabah - Manukan

Interestingly, the Sabah part of ur trip was the first part that none of us had been to before, so it was an adventure for all.
The flight on Royal Brunei made us realise that we were embarking on something new when instead of the safety annoucement we were treated to a Muslim prayer.
Sabah was fanatastic. KK is a failry un attrective town - it was rebuilt after being bombed in WWII and you get a feeling that is all a bit tempory. I think that it is in for huge chances in the next few years as the tourist market starts to blossom. I am so glad that we got to visit before it loses it's own identity.

We left the town pretty swiftly and headed to the beautiful island of Manaukan for some snorkle and beach fun. It was very beautiful, we spend a great afternoon at Sunset point which was incredible.
Tom got a little sick, but wht a great place to chill out and relax it is high on my list of places to go to write my book

The Asian Connection -Singapore /KL

Heading east we have stopped for a visit to Singapore/ Malaysia so much to see and do in such a short time, but we gave it our best shot.
Starting in Singapore, we explored everything!!
A cool bus trip took us to KL, where we got down and dirty in the markets, and sleek and sophisticatedly up the Petronis Tower.
we developed an affintiy to the bean and leaf cafe that was to serve us well through the rest of our time in SIng /Malaysia

On to Austria

A pilgrammage for Dibs and Mike. A new adventure, and peep in to parent shady past for Jack and Tom.
Not much has changed on the banks of the mighty Inn, except that the gnarly young raft guides of the '80, are now responsible managers and Dad's
We were luck to stay with Andy, Maria, Charlotte and Emma in Oetz, and we did everything....
Hiking up the Windegg, canyoning, rafting, mountain biking, riding the Alpen coaster, and catching up with some of our best friends

To France!!

We moved on to Paris, where a crazed rooster seemed to have a problem realising that the "cocka doodle doo" thing only needs to happen at dawn, not all night.
We had a great day exploring Paris - souvenirs include a rude French waiter and a great view from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Our second day in Paris we had adventures at Parc Asterix - a dream come true for Jack and Tom. A great day, even if we didn't really know what the heck was going on, just shows that, like smiles - theme parks are universal

After a long trek, made considerably easier by the Movie selection of Singapore Airlines, and a well planned swim in the pool at Singapore Airport, we finally made it to England.
We had a gret day in Frankfurt - Tom not sure about the architecture -" If I wanted to see old buildings I would have stayed home and watched Shrek!"
Finally Uncle Lance met us and took us to stake for the night, then on the train to Nana's in Telford.
MIke should arrive to meet us on Saturday.
Plan for our stay in England include visiting castles, visiting friends, and having a bit of a rest.

On the way

Getting ready to blast off on a new adventure!
MIke is already in Europe for the Olympics, and the rest of the crew are off to meet up with him tomorrow
All excited!