Thank you all for tuning in.
Kelley and I have been planning this trip for a long time. I decided early in 2008 that a trip around the world would be a great way to end residency. When will we ever again have enough time off to take a long vacation. The hardest part of planning this trip was deciding where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. We had a start already planned thanks to my parents who wanted to take us all to Germany to see where they lived and got married. The next logical question for us was, where do we go next?
We tossed around many ideas. Should we tour Europe? We would already be close and it would make travel easier. We thought getting back to the places we want to see in Europe easy enough that we could just hit these spots in the future. We considered Africa strongly. We both want to see many things in Africa including Egypt in the north all the way through safaris and the Cape in the south. Eventually though we both decided South East Asia is tops on our list and began planning out our route.
After a lot of time spent on the internet and help from a few travel agents, we had a plan and a course. We will travel from Germany to India. We fly in to Delhi in the north and will spend several days in Jaipur, the "Pink City". We will also be traveling to Mumbai, The Maldives, Bangkok, Cambodia, and Phuket before finally returning back to the US. We really could have spent weeks in each of these spots, but we only have so much time and money before we have to return to the real world.
Our goal is to post as we go. We hope to take lots of pictures and keep things interesting. Please stay tuned, the journey begins June 30, 2009.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Basic Itinerary
Here is a rundown of our itinerary for the trip. This is a basic explanation of where we're going and some of the sights we will be seeing. For now, we have placed links regarding different locations if you want to learn more about each place. Once we have visited, hopefully our blog posts will provide more information.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009:
We leave Nashville at about 1:00 pm. We have a layover in Chicago and then fly direct from Chicago to Frankfurt.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009:
We arrive in Frankfurt early in the morning. We will immediately take a train from Frankfurt to Munich and then from Munich to Aschaffenburg.
Aschaffenburg is where April and Turkey (Michael's parents) met and got married. We will spend the day touring Aschaffenburg. We will stay overnight at the Aschaffenburger Hof.
Thursday, July 2, 2009:
We will travel from Aschaffenburg to Munich and then on to Garmisch, which is where we will spend the next two days. We will be staying at the Reindl's Partenkirchner Hof. We will spend the next two days in this area touring and shopping. The Zugspitze (the tallest mountain in Germany) is nearby as well as the Castle of "Neuschwanstein," which we will also visit.
Saturday, July 4, 2009 through Monday, July 6, 2009:
We will be leaving the Bavarian region and will travel to Munich. We don't have any set plans while in the city but I know we will find plenty to do. We will be staying at the Le Meridien Hotel.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009:
While the rest of the Nobles will remain in Germany for a few more days, Michael and Kelley will head back to Frankfurt and will spend the night in preparation for an early morning flight to India the following day.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009:
For those who don't know, Michael visited India in March 2008 with Mark. Michael fell in love with the country and has been wanting to share the experience with Kelley ever since. We will arrive in New Delhi late in the evening. We will check into our hotel for a quick nights rest before leaving early the next morning to head to Agra.
Thursday, July 9, 2009:
We will catch a train from Delhi to Agra in order to visit and tour the Taj Mahal for the afternoon. Michael has already been but insisted that Kelley get to experience this sight. We will spend most of the day at the Taj Mahal before taking a car trip to Jaipur, which is where we'll spend the next three nights. After arriving in Jaipur, we will visit the abandoned Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri.
During our time in Jaipur, we will be staying at the Taj Rambagh Palace. This place looks just amazing and Michael and Kelley cannot wait to see it in person. Click the link to check out their website.
Friday, July 10, 2009:
We will tour several sites including the Amber Fort. We plan to do plenty of shopping, as Jaipur is well known for its bazaars which sell textiles, handicrafts and jewelry. Kelley hopes to visit a jewelry workshop on this day to see how the jewelry is made and hopefully pick something up too! This evening, we have dinner reservations at the Suvarna Mahal restaraunt inside the Rambagh Palace. Online reviews say that this meal and the level of service is not to be missed and we are definitely looking forward to it!
Saturday, July 11, 2009:
Today we will continue touring Jaipur. We will tour multiple sites including the City Palace, Palace of the Winds and the Observatory. We will also most likely do some more shopping as there are numerous bazaars in the city.
Sunday, July 12, 2009 through Monday, July 13, 2009:
We will leave Jaipur and head to the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). We will spend the next two nights at the Taj Palace Hotel. This hotel was recently in the news when it was attacked by terrorists in the fall of 2008. The hotel reportedly has been completely restored. Michael stayed in a different Taj hotel during his previous visit. The service is amazing on these properties. We cannot wait to be pampered during our time in Mumbai!
During our two days in Mumbai we plan to travel around the city with our driver and see the sights (nothing in particular right now). We also plan to shop while we're there (of course). We have also talked about taking in a Bollywood movie if we find the time.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 through Sunday July 19, 2009:
Today we will be leaving India and heading to the (hopefully) most relaxing leg of our trip. We will fly from Mumbai to Colombo, Sri Lanka, where we will catch a flight to Male, which is the capital of the Maldives. After arriving in Male, we will take a speed boat trip to an island resort, where we will spend the next 5 nights.
We will be staying at the Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru. I have posted a link to their site. Needless to say, this will hopefully be a week of sun and relaxation!
Sunday, July 19, 2009:
We will depart from Male and fly to Bangkok, Thailand. We will arrive in Bangkok the next day (7/20) at 5:00 am. We will spend the next three nights in Bangkok at the Penninsula Hotel.
Monday, July 20, 2009:
Monday we will tour Bangkok and shop around. We do not have any specific plans for this day other than touring by the Skytrain which is a public transportation system in the city.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009:
Today we will visit the flower market, Wat Pho (home of the reclining Buddha), the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. We will also get a massage at one of the major thai massage schools.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009:
We will spend most of the day at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Here, local merchants sell their wares from floating boats. We will also visit the Mai Klong local market. We will spend the afternoon on our own and our activities are still to be determined.
Thursday, July 23, 2009:
Today we leave Thailand and travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia. After arriving in Siem Reap, we will check into our bed and breakfast, Journey's Within. We will spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Friday, July 24, 2009:
During the early part of the day, we will visit Angkor Wat, which is a temple complex built in the early 12th century. We will also visit Angkor Thom and various other temples in the area.
Saturday, July 25, 2009:
We will wake up early in order to view the sunrise at the local temples. We will visit Banteay Srei, Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei.
During the afternoon, the owner of the B&B we are staying at will accompany us to the local squatter's village which is located near the hotel. Here we can view some of the outreach projects that Journey's Within continuously works on to help improve the living conditions of the local residents.
Sunday, July 26, 2009:
Today we will spend the morning relaxing at the B&B. In the afternoon, we will tour the Old Market and visit the Artisans de Angkor, where we can see students learning their crafts and shop for souveniers.
Monday, July 27, 2009 through Saturday, August 1, 2009:
We will leave Cambodia today and head back to Thailand. We will arrive in Phuket where we will spend the next five nights at Mom Tri's Boathouse. We will spend much of our time in Phuket relaxing and enjoying the amazing beaches. We plan to take a Thai cooking class and also a half-day cruise during which we will kayak the hongs and caves in the area. Other than this, we do not have a lot planned. Since this is our last week of a long journey we feel that relaxing may be all we will feel like doing!
Saturday, August 1, 2009:
Today we will check out of Mom Tri's and will fly back to Bangkok where we will spend our last night out of the country.
Sunday, August 2, 2009:
We will leave on an early morning flight to Tokyo, which will take a little over six hours. We will then fly from Tokyo direct to Detroit (over 12 hours). From Detroit, we will head back to Nashville where we will arrive at 7:47 p.m.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009:
We leave Nashville at about 1:00 pm. We have a layover in Chicago and then fly direct from Chicago to Frankfurt.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009:
We arrive in Frankfurt early in the morning. We will immediately take a train from Frankfurt to Munich and then from Munich to Aschaffenburg.
Aschaffenburg is where April and Turkey (Michael's parents) met and got married. We will spend the day touring Aschaffenburg. We will stay overnight at the Aschaffenburger Hof.
Thursday, July 2, 2009:
We will travel from Aschaffenburg to Munich and then on to Garmisch, which is where we will spend the next two days. We will be staying at the Reindl's Partenkirchner Hof. We will spend the next two days in this area touring and shopping. The Zugspitze (the tallest mountain in Germany) is nearby as well as the Castle of "Neuschwanstein," which we will also visit.
Saturday, July 4, 2009 through Monday, July 6, 2009:
We will be leaving the Bavarian region and will travel to Munich. We don't have any set plans while in the city but I know we will find plenty to do. We will be staying at the Le Meridien Hotel.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009:
While the rest of the Nobles will remain in Germany for a few more days, Michael and Kelley will head back to Frankfurt and will spend the night in preparation for an early morning flight to India the following day.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009:
For those who don't know, Michael visited India in March 2008 with Mark. Michael fell in love with the country and has been wanting to share the experience with Kelley ever since. We will arrive in New Delhi late in the evening. We will check into our hotel for a quick nights rest before leaving early the next morning to head to Agra.
Thursday, July 9, 2009:
We will catch a train from Delhi to Agra in order to visit and tour the Taj Mahal for the afternoon. Michael has already been but insisted that Kelley get to experience this sight. We will spend most of the day at the Taj Mahal before taking a car trip to Jaipur, which is where we'll spend the next three nights. After arriving in Jaipur, we will visit the abandoned Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri.
During our time in Jaipur, we will be staying at the Taj Rambagh Palace. This place looks just amazing and Michael and Kelley cannot wait to see it in person. Click the link to check out their website.
Friday, July 10, 2009:
We will tour several sites including the Amber Fort. We plan to do plenty of shopping, as Jaipur is well known for its bazaars which sell textiles, handicrafts and jewelry. Kelley hopes to visit a jewelry workshop on this day to see how the jewelry is made and hopefully pick something up too! This evening, we have dinner reservations at the Suvarna Mahal restaraunt inside the Rambagh Palace. Online reviews say that this meal and the level of service is not to be missed and we are definitely looking forward to it!
Saturday, July 11, 2009:
Today we will continue touring Jaipur. We will tour multiple sites including the City Palace, Palace of the Winds and the Observatory. We will also most likely do some more shopping as there are numerous bazaars in the city.
Sunday, July 12, 2009 through Monday, July 13, 2009:
We will leave Jaipur and head to the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). We will spend the next two nights at the Taj Palace Hotel. This hotel was recently in the news when it was attacked by terrorists in the fall of 2008. The hotel reportedly has been completely restored. Michael stayed in a different Taj hotel during his previous visit. The service is amazing on these properties. We cannot wait to be pampered during our time in Mumbai!
During our two days in Mumbai we plan to travel around the city with our driver and see the sights (nothing in particular right now). We also plan to shop while we're there (of course). We have also talked about taking in a Bollywood movie if we find the time.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 through Sunday July 19, 2009:
Today we will be leaving India and heading to the (hopefully) most relaxing leg of our trip. We will fly from Mumbai to Colombo, Sri Lanka, where we will catch a flight to Male, which is the capital of the Maldives. After arriving in Male, we will take a speed boat trip to an island resort, where we will spend the next 5 nights.
We will be staying at the Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru. I have posted a link to their site. Needless to say, this will hopefully be a week of sun and relaxation!
Sunday, July 19, 2009:
We will depart from Male and fly to Bangkok, Thailand. We will arrive in Bangkok the next day (7/20) at 5:00 am. We will spend the next three nights in Bangkok at the Penninsula Hotel.
Monday, July 20, 2009:
Monday we will tour Bangkok and shop around. We do not have any specific plans for this day other than touring by the Skytrain which is a public transportation system in the city.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009:
Today we will visit the flower market, Wat Pho (home of the reclining Buddha), the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. We will also get a massage at one of the major thai massage schools.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009:
We will spend most of the day at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Here, local merchants sell their wares from floating boats. We will also visit the Mai Klong local market. We will spend the afternoon on our own and our activities are still to be determined.
Thursday, July 23, 2009:
Today we leave Thailand and travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia. After arriving in Siem Reap, we will check into our bed and breakfast, Journey's Within. We will spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Friday, July 24, 2009:
During the early part of the day, we will visit Angkor Wat, which is a temple complex built in the early 12th century. We will also visit Angkor Thom and various other temples in the area.
Saturday, July 25, 2009:
We will wake up early in order to view the sunrise at the local temples. We will visit Banteay Srei, Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei.
During the afternoon, the owner of the B&B we are staying at will accompany us to the local squatter's village which is located near the hotel. Here we can view some of the outreach projects that Journey's Within continuously works on to help improve the living conditions of the local residents.
Sunday, July 26, 2009:
Today we will spend the morning relaxing at the B&B. In the afternoon, we will tour the Old Market and visit the Artisans de Angkor, where we can see students learning their crafts and shop for souveniers.
Monday, July 27, 2009 through Saturday, August 1, 2009:
We will leave Cambodia today and head back to Thailand. We will arrive in Phuket where we will spend the next five nights at Mom Tri's Boathouse. We will spend much of our time in Phuket relaxing and enjoying the amazing beaches. We plan to take a Thai cooking class and also a half-day cruise during which we will kayak the hongs and caves in the area. Other than this, we do not have a lot planned. Since this is our last week of a long journey we feel that relaxing may be all we will feel like doing!
Saturday, August 1, 2009:
Today we will check out of Mom Tri's and will fly back to Bangkok where we will spend our last night out of the country.
Sunday, August 2, 2009:
We will leave on an early morning flight to Tokyo, which will take a little over six hours. We will then fly from Tokyo direct to Detroit (over 12 hours). From Detroit, we will head back to Nashville where we will arrive at 7:47 p.m.
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