tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48157898233160986342012-02-16T18:14:38.753-08:00Eli and Jodie Around the World.Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-27707025989102692942010-05-17T18:34:00.000-07:002010-05-17T18:56:12.153-07:00

Eli and I continued north up Ruta 40 in Argentina through a vast array of scenery including some amazing dry deserts and endless salt flats. Our days consisted of driving and camping with stops along the way to take in the culture and landscape. We saw some wild llamas and donkeys but not much other wildlife. Our goal for the rest of our trip was to see some of the Atacama Desert in Chile before

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-77385581488092262162010-05-01T10:51:00.001-07:002010-05-01T12:22:37.281-07:00

Unfortunately Pucon turned out to be a bust for us, due to rain. We only spent about 24 hours in the area, but it was raining the whole time, so after checking the weather forcast (3 more days of rain) we decided to head back into Argentina to the sunnier side of the Andes. Jodie and I are constantly struggling to plan out our remaining time left travelling by not spending too much time in one

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-31249856422714035792010-04-17T14:23:00.000-07:002010-04-17T14:33:27.662-07:00

Eli and I are still on the road and still loving the freedom of our car, although after a long day or two of driving, we are more than ready for some breathing room outdoors. We try to get in a hike day or some sightseeing every few days so we don't feel too confined to our car. Our Easter was a memorable one. We picked up our first hitchhiker, a young kid travelling a few hours to see his

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-11309990385883148662010-04-05T15:13:00.000-07:002010-04-08T13:02:40.340-07:00

Ahh the joys of having a vehicle. It has been 10 days since Jodie and I left Punta Arenas and we are overwhelmingly thankful to have our own vehicle and the freedom that it brings. We always feel sorry for alll the poor suckers that we pass on busses between the well beaten backpacker stops. Now whenever we want to stop and take a picture, we pull over. Or if we see a cool side road, we don't

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-4423879924105213132010-03-22T18:00:00.001-07:002010-03-22T18:19:24.022-07:00

Eli and I landed in Buenos Aires (or B.A. as we call it) Argentina after an overnight flight from Madrid. We were rested and ready to get started on our next adventure. Upon arriving, our spirits were temporarily shot down as we were ushered to a special line for "US citizens" in order to pay an arrival fee. Turns out, as of Dec 28, 2009, US citizens were reqquired to pay an entry fee of $130

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-76971634601784479442010-03-10T15:09:00.000-08:002010-03-10T15:35:34.600-08:00

When buying our plance tickets from Kathmandu, Nepal to Buenos Aires, Argentina, we discovered the best bang for our buck would be to stop over in Istanbul and London for a few days each. Although not on our original itenerary, we were excited to see some unexpected places. We have also eliminated South Africa from this trip in order to spend more time in South America. While we were

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-26697519012586220512010-03-10T14:56:00.000-08:002010-03-10T15:08:32.173-08:00

In Nepal, Holi proved to be our new favorite holiday. Anyone who dared to walk the streets that day was bombarded with water balloons and attacked by teenagers with handfuls of powdered paint. Jodie and I spent most of the day up on the rooftop of our hotel where we took full participation in the festivities by having an hour 8 water balloon fight with the neighboring buildings and people on

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-3499828200658658662010-02-27T05:57:00.000-08:002010-02-27T06:58:37.362-08:00

After landing in Lukla (elevation 9200ft), Eli and I grabbed our backpacks and opted not to hire any of the guides or porters that were anxiously waiting outside the airport for our 12 day hike up to Goyko Ri. We had done our research and learned that the trails are easy to navigate without a guide and we knew we were capable of carrying our own packs. As we started hiking, we quickly found the

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-88412774622748939152010-02-27T01:21:00.000-08:002010-02-27T04:15:51.863-08:00

Eli and I excitedly left Vientiane, Laos for our flight to Kathmandu, Nepal. Being the savvy travellers that we are, of course, we didn't buy a non-stop flight. In fact, we purchased separate tickets from Laos to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and then from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu (with a layover in Mumbai, India along the way). 2 different airlines in 2 days to get to a country that with a non-stop

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-76722827385520580772010-02-12T18:03:00.000-08:002010-02-12T18:21:42.996-08:00

It was quite a shock going from super busy Hanoi to arriving in sleepy Luang Prabang in Laos. Jodie and I exited the airplane ramp on to the tarmac and noticed that there was only one plane at the airport, our plane. I guess that is what you get when you go from a country of 86 million to one of 6 million. It was exactly what we were looking for. Luang Prabang is a small town of maybe 40,000

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-92081671539360121132010-02-02T19:46:00.000-08:002010-02-02T20:15:04.396-08:00

After leaving Da Lat Jodie and I took another bus through the mountains to a town on the coast called Nha Trang. The bus ride was a bit scary because we were traveling on some of the narrowest, windiest roads I have ever seen. Luckily I didn't lose my lunch even though at times I thought I might. The scenery was spectacular as we descended through the rugged mountains down to the lowlands

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-53953923214930242142010-01-18T19:33:00.000-08:002010-01-18T19:56:34.323-08:00

Eli and I have been in Vietnam for 6 days now. We were especially excited to visit Vietnam as we have heard many stories about this country from our dads and in our history books and couldn't wait to see it firsthand. I also had a few co-workers at Intel that had spent time at the factory in Saigon. We have an extensive list of sites to see! My dad also lived there as a teenager so his

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-90552424821696085822010-01-12T05:44:00.000-08:002010-01-12T06:01:27.034-08:00

Cambodia is a very humbling country. From the massive ancient temples of Angkor, to its extreme poverty and horrendous past of genocide, it's hard to not be taken aback when travelling here.Our bus ride from Bangkok to Siem Reap turned into somewhat of a scam, with the bus arriving much later than said, taking us to overpriced restaurants and private bus stations where we were told to exchange

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-45202170851032110162010-01-06T08:54:00.000-08:002010-01-07T05:35:14.476-08:00

While typing last blog, we got a call on skype from Eli's mom with some sad news. Wayne Chamberlain, (Eli's grandpa, Ken's dad), died this morning and has gone home to be with his Father. We are terribly saddened by the news but we are also joyful as Marge, his wife, and much of the family could be with him for the past few days while he was in the hospital. Ken says that his dad had a big

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-89453047653133990012010-01-06T08:20:00.000-08:002010-01-06T08:54:28.989-08:00

I am adding another update to capture our quick time in Bangkok, Thailand. I also want everyone to know most of the blogs have been written by Eli and he is way better at detail than I am. Thanks honey.Bangkok wasn't one of our original desired destinations during this trip but I must admit that I am pleased that we decided to stop here. It is a booming city with what seems like 2 cities in

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-33956348443888248462010-01-04T21:19:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:32:02.128-08:00

Happy New Year 2010! After Bali, we jumped a plane to Singapore. We were blessed to have a contact (a friend of my sister) living there that was opening up her home to us for Christmas. It was a culture shock for us to be in Bali and then after a quick flight, land in a huge, modern, very clean city. The cars still drive on the wrong side of the rode but everyone obeyed traffic laws. The

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-41761989541052992292009-12-20T21:19:00.000-08:002009-12-20T21:32:57.252-08:00

Its amazing how much cultures can change with a short plane ride. Jodie and I have had a bit of a culture shock since leaving Australia and arriving in Bali. It has been very interesting, entertaining and refreshing. Really the only thing that hasn't changed is the heat, in fact it seems to be a little hotter here, and maybe even a bit more humid.90+90=sweaty. 90 degrees plus 90 percent humidity

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-32877968073148797762009-12-11T18:11:00.000-08:002009-12-11T18:31:04.175-08:00

Eli and I have been in Cairns and the surrounding area for the past week and a half. The population of Cairns is about 100,000 but it feels like it is mostly full of tourists. It is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Even though it is on the coast, it is 10 miles from the nearest beach and when you do get to the beach via bus, you can't actually swim in it during the summer (Oct - March).

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-2285829491902408772009-12-01T21:15:00.000-08:002009-12-01T22:15:37.890-08:00

Wow we have been lazy about blogging, now we have some catching up to do. We are currently 30,000 ft somewhere above the east coast of Australia on our way from Sydney to Cairns. We have been in Australia about a week now and are having a great time. We arrived in Melbourne anxious to see our friend Rachel from high school and to sleep in a real bed. It had been a few years since either of us had

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-10890973540175308062009-11-23T14:06:00.000-08:002009-11-25T02:48:33.659-08:00

Eli and I went on an overnight hike in Fiordland National Park. We hiked the Routeburn track because it is one of New Zealand's "10 Great Walks." Due to heavy snow this past winter there was an avalanche blocking a part of the trail. Unfortunatley this meant we would have to pay $55 each for a "heli lift" (helicopter) to do the whole track. We opted not to do the heli lift and instead hiked

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-33457896361126007672009-11-16T19:31:00.000-08:002009-11-16T20:09:48.072-08:00

Earlier this week we spent 2 days backpacking in Nelson Lakes National Park. We hiked up to Bushline Hut the first day and camped overnight. I woke up a few times to the sounds of squaking Kea (green colored alpine parrot). according to some other campers, the birds had been picking at the strings of our tent. Eli stayed sound asleep and missed the commotion even though I shook him a few

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-33146421952278169292009-11-16T19:24:00.000-08:002009-11-16T19:31:13.983-08:00

We purchased some more airline tickets!!Latest ItineraryNov 25 flight Christchurch, NZ to Melbourne, AusNov 28 drive to Sydney (tentative date)Dec 2 flight Sydney to Cairns, AusDec 14 flight Cairns to Darwin, Aus to Bali, IndonesiaDec 23 flight Bali to SingaporeDec 25 train Singapore to Phuket, Thailand (tentative date)that's all we finalized for now....

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-54377599698035072952009-11-11T11:13:00.000-08:002009-11-11T12:15:11.930-08:00

Yesterday Jodie and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. It was a great day. We woke up early in Auckland in order to catch our morning flight to Christchurch. We had a bit of a close call when the cab we had scheduled to pick us up never showed, but luckily I happened to find one shortly so we made our flight in time. We landed in Christchurch to some crummy Portlandesque weather, it felt a lot

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-28956444486702112282009-11-07T22:43:00.001-08:002009-11-08T11:54:17.189-08:00

Eli and I spent today in Raglan, a small, trendy surf town. We sat on the beach and soaked up some sun. We are now currently south of Auckland with plans to camp in our car tonight in a park tucked off of one of the main roads. We just got done eating a hearty meal of baked beans and mac and cheese from our campstove. We must look homeless because a very nice Afghani family offered us some of

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-59144376026781217792009-11-04T13:03:00.000-08:002009-11-04T14:40:14.165-08:00

We have finally arrived at our first international destination, New Zealand. It is wonderful here and we are glad to be continuing on our journey after some relaxing time in Hawaii. The last couple days in Hawaii were largely consumed by Halloween festivities in Honolulu. Jodie and I decided to dress as the Dharma Initiative (from Lost) because it was easy and cheap(goodwill jumpsuits). Si made

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-92053162016511069072009-10-25T13:56:00.000-07:002009-10-25T17:20:07.719-07:00

We have been in Hawaii now for 2 weeks and it will be hard to leave next weekend. Our days have been filled with coffee, beaches, mice and the occasional tv star. Shortly after we arrived we discovered a mouse running a muck around the house. After realizing that he could make it onto the stove and counter tops we decided it was time for him to leave us. A mouse trap, some cheese (peanut butter

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-24371588928376411842009-10-15T13:17:00.000-07:002009-10-15T13:37:17.349-07:00

Yesterday we hiked Laie waterfall trail. The 4 hour hike turned into a 6 hour hike because the mud was so thick and the rocks were slippery. Along the way we munched on wild strawberry guavas. Si's roommate Tyler was our guide and he brought along his 2 dogs, Myles and Zion. Tyler hiked ahead of us so every 3 minutes or so, Myles would run back to check on us and lead the way through the trail.

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-31870348847460626202009-10-13T12:01:00.000-07:002009-10-13T12:30:05.678-07:00

We are officially on our World Trip. We can stop holding our breath. We left Oregon a few weeks ago to drive south to Arizona making stops along the way to visit friends and family. In Arizona, we finished up our packing and we were able to fit our next 9 months of clothing, cooking, and camping supplies into 1 backpack each. I am sure along the way we will be adding and swapping out items as

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815789823316098634.post-85719498266601511762009-08-31T14:20:00.000-07:002009-09-17T09:07:00.567-07:00

Check back in November for more updates!2009-2010 Hawaii - Oct New Zealand - NovAustralia - DecSE Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia) - JanTibet? - FebNepal - Feb/MarchSomewhere in Africa - MarchSouth America - April/May

Jodie and Eli Chamberlainnoreply@blogger.com2