In 2000, I extended my 1999 sabbatical (see my AT hike page for details) another 4½ months to travel around Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Maybe one day I'll add stories and other details to this section, but for now, there are just a couple photos.

The basic itinerary was to leave the US for a quick visit in Hong Kong, then 10 days in Vietnam, a month in Thailand, 5 days on Bali (Indonesia), and 5 weeks each in Australia and New Zealand. To summarize the trip in one sentence: I did not spend enough time in any of the places I visited. To elaborate, any of those places I could happily spend much more time than I did.

Thailand

To most westerners, the boats seen travelling on Thai waterways look crude, at best. The technology is typically made up of a long, thin wooden boat, powered by an exposed automobile motor driving a propellor on a long shaft. Most do not have mufflers. They tend to be very fast, and a little wet. Overall pretty cool, and a bit exotic. My dad likes to call them the 'James Bond boats'. Here are a couple colorful examples on the river in Bangkok.

Northwest of the town of Chiang Mai in the town of Pai I joined a group trekking through the mountains. The first village we visited (including an overnight stay in a bamboo hut) was a small collection of small houses, all built by the residents, by hand. No running water, no electricity. Garbage is disposed of by pushing it through cracks in the floor, to feed the pigs, dogs and chickens running rampant below. In the morning I stepped out to see one of the local boys playing with his home-made top.

A view of the village referenced above. At the bottom of the picture, you can see a cleared area where the locals were playing a game that can only be described as a combination of soccer and volleyball. Using only one's feet, a ball is kicked back and forth over a net. If the ball hits the ground, a point is given up. The ball they used was a sphere made by weaving reeds or plant stems together.

In Chiang Mai, I rented a motorcycle for three days. A couple hours ride away is Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. The road goes right to the top (at over 8000 ft). I may not have hiked it, but I was still pretty excited that the bike made it all the way up. A couple miles from the top, I felt my foot getting hot & wet, and found that the bike was overheating, dumping coolant (water) onto my foot. I refilled it at a convenient rest stop and made it the rest of the way up without a problem.

From Doi Inthanon, I rode further west to a small town, less visited by tourists. On the way, I stopped for a photo at this overlook. The mountains of Thailand are fabulous. There are waterfalls all over the place, and like mountains anywhere, the views are fantastic.

Oz

Throughout Australia there are shops called 'Vic Hinslow's Shark (pronounced Shak) shows'. Vic, a shark hunter, makes every effort to justify his continued existence. Each shop includes extensive documentation supporting his claims that the nasty sharks are responsible for not only every disappearing person case in the country, but beached whales too. A must-visit stop for any tourist in Oz.

For part of my trip through Australia, I rented a Toyota camper van. One night I camped near a beach, and took advantage of the water access for an early morning swim. It was a beautiful day.

EnZed

New Zealand is an absolutely fantastic country. On Easter weekend, a friend and I escaped the madness in Queenstown by trekking in Mt. Aspiring National Park. This is a view of the Matukituki valley we spent four days exploring. Fabulous.

The coastal road between Westport and Greymouth, South Island. A fabulously beautiful road winding along the coast; I encountered mostly good weather and little traffic. Just remember to fill up with fuel in Westport or Greymouth, as there is no filling station in Punakaiki...

Taking a rest, contemplating my place in the world. Cape Foulwind (just out of Westport).

All photos and text copyright (©) brian simon 2000