image

Time to blow some of the cobwebs off this website and make a new entry or two. Between getting everything ready for the baby at the end of last year and constantly running after the baby since she arrived, I haven’t been able to give this site the attention it needs. That, combined with a relatively light travel schedule last year, means that ‘Where’s Matthew’ has become somewhat neglected, if only because reading that Matthew is ‘at home’ is hardly a compelling prospect.

Nevermind.

Tomorrow, it’s off to Fort Worth, Texas for the week.

I’m a well-traveled man, but something tells me that Texas will be more strange and foreign to me than many other distant lands.

At least one thing has made its way into my suitcase that I'm sure wasn't on the packing list!

At least one thing has made its way into my suitcase that I’m sure wasn’t on the packing list!

My first trip to Tokyo, and only 24 hours to take it all in. Most of the trip was spent in the office, but we did get a little bit of time in the afternoon to do some exploring.

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo.  I wish I had a video camera to show the crossing in action.

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo. I wish I had a video camera to show the crossing in action.

No visit to Tokyo would be complete without a visit to a sushi bar.

No visit to Tokyo would be complete without a visit to a sushi bar.

I've been waiting for this moment my entire life.  Never before have I known such toilet luxury!

I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life. Never before have I known such toilet luxury!

A little bit of breakfast at the JAL F-lounge in Narita.

A little bit of breakfast at the JAL F-lounge in Narita.

Screaming monkey

Another long break between entries (and a reminder that I should go and upload some of my skiing photos at some point), but the first chance I’ve had to send an update from someplace exciting.

After three short days in Hong Kong, where we enjoyed good dim sum but mostly rainy weather, we arrived in Langkawi, an island off the coast of Malaysia. It’s been an adventure here – we had a tsunami warning on our second night, and the island is filled with wildlife which has been keeping us well-entertained. We stopped by the roadside to snap a quick picture of one of the cheeky Macaque monkeys – the next thing we knew, he’d jumped up onto the car and scared the life out of Aude, and six or seven of his friends quickly joined us. They’re everywhere on the island, and apparently very clever. They’ve worked out where the minibar is in each of the hotel rooms. Left to their own devices, they’ll happily raid the room and stage impromptu parties, getting drunk on the beer in the fridge.

Try explaining *that* on check-out.

We’re off today to Penang, another island about 120km away. It’s just a short hop on the plane, but a totally different experience from the rainforest we have here on Langkawi.

There’s been a long gap since the last update of Where’s Matthew, but that is because my new role has kept me largely office-based over the past few months. 

We had an invitation this weekend to visit Troyes, outside Paris, to celebrate the 50th birthday of Aude’s godfather.  After weeks of 35C+ temperatures, the weather turned much cooler and wetter on Saturday – not the best conditions for a 350km drive.  But we made it, even finding some time to squeeze in a little shopping at the factory outlets on the way.

We had a great time at the party, hosted in a vintner’s warehouse dating back to the 12th century.  Located in Champage, the theme of the evening was wine – starting with a comparison of blanc de blancs vs. blanc de noirs for the aperitif, then moving onto a bit of wine trivia and guessing games with each of the following courses.  Throw in a fantastic magician and a superb band, and it really was a wonderful evening.

The next morning, we decided to do a little exploring of the town.  Around noon, we decided to stop for lunch and sat down at a cafe on the main square.  Since the place was empty, we sat down side-by-side at a table of four, facing the square in typical cafe fashion. 

That’s when we had a “French” moment.  The waitress came over and asked us to move to a table-of-two.  I pointed out that there were 200 empty seats in the place, but the waitress was insistent. We got up and left.

Cafe L'Odyssee in Troyes, completely empty

Good thing we did — an hour later, it looks like the place was overflowing with customers. *rolls eyes*

I found a few shots Aude had hidden on her camera that I liked…

  • Tags:

The few days we spent in Sapa were fantastic, and a real change from the hustle-and-bustle of Hanoi.  But the part of the trip I had been most looking forward to was the cruise we’d booked on Halong Bay.  In addition to having some fantastic scenery, we had heard great things about the food onboard the cruises and were generally looking forward to a few days relaxing on the water with no real fixed itinerary.

We just about survived the four-hour drive from Hanoi (driving headlong into opposing traffic while expecting them to veer onto the shoulder to let you pass takes some getting used to) and were subjected to the mandatory over-priced tourist rest stop at the halfway point.  We arrived in the harbour at Halong Bay around lunchtime.

We booked the Princess 2 Junk.  Our guide came to meet us at the port to take care of the luggage and any last minute arrangements.  He asked if we ate everything, and I said that we did.  Then he asked whether we ate dog, no doubt his Vietnamese attempt at a joke about what foreigners will and won’t eat.  He was a little surprised when I pointed to a puppy playing nearby and suggested that "one that size would be okay," as I really only wanted to try a small taste.

We headed onboard, met the crew, and finished the last minute tasks of taking onboard fuel and water for the next few days.  Thirty minutes later we were eating lunch on the deck of the boat as we pulled out of port.

Aude in the harbour at Halong Bay

In the port at Halong Bay, getting ready to set off on our cruise.

Junks waiting in port at Halong Bay

Junk cruises are big business here.  There were at least 30 other junks in the harbour when we were setting off, most doing overnight or two-day trips.  Luckily, Princess run their itineraries on the opposite side of the bay to most of the other tour boats, so aside from a few other Princess boats that we saw at the mooring point each evening, we were pretty much on our own.

Vase of roses onboard

The crew had a bunch of roses waiting for Aude as she came onboard, and they’d decorated the cabin with rose petals.

Matthew & Aude onboard the Princess 2 Junk

Settling in for our first lunch as we headed out to sea.

Junk boat in Halong Bay

Following one of the other Princess junks travelling in the same direction.

Aude relaxes with a cup of coffee

A good lunch and a strong cup of Vietnamese coffee — time to start relaxing.

Stone islands in Halong Bay, Vietnam

We were about 20 minutes out of port when we began to see some of the many islands for which Halong Bay is famous.  Everything seemed to be wrapped in mist, which I guess is common, but it gave it an ethereal beauty.

Stone islands in Halong Bay, Vietnam

More islands.  There are 1’969 islands in total, but for the sake of brevity (and the fact that most of them look the same), these are all the pictures I’ll include.

Aude onboard the Princess 2 Junk

Starting to look relaxed.

Aude onboard the Princess 2 Junk

Woke up to a sunny morning on the second day, which was a nice surprise and a great way to start the day.

Fishing boat in Halong Bay

Not much other traffic where we were.  Here, a fisherman passes by.

Lion Island in Halong Bay, Vietnam

Lion Island.  Most of the islands here have a name, and our guide loved to regale us with tales of the names of the islands.  Either that, or he learned his English from the "Big Book of Animals".  Because he told us about Turtle Island, Toad Island, Serpent Island, Monkey Island, Frog Island, Dolphin Island, and enough others to fill Noah’s Ark to capacity.  Like someone else’s identical twins, perhaps he can tell them all apart, but they all look the same to me.  Lion Island, at least, actually looked like a lion.

Floating village in Halong Bay

A floating village.  About 150 people live here full-time, spending their entire lives on the water.  Rather than trying to sell tourists unwanted trinkets, I was pleased that this village has made arrangements with our boating company — they welcome visitors, and rely on voluntary donations to help support their village.  The result is a much more authentic experience for the visitor, and no hassle from unwelcomed salesmen.  I wish they’d had the same system in some of the villages in Sapa, where we spent more time avoiding being sold something than actually enjoying what we were seeing.

Cove near the floating village in Halong Bay

An inlet near the floating village, where we were taken by rowboat.  One of the most tranquil, most beautiful spots I’ve visited.  Absolutely one of those places where the pictures don’t begin to do justice to the original.

Fishermen in Halong Bay

A husband-and-wife fishing team.

Men playing cards on a boat in Halong Bay

The men play cars while a dog keeps watch.  Or keeps a safe distance, hoping not to go into the pot.  I’m not sure which.

Floating house in Halong Bay

Brightly coloured houses in the floating village.  Donations mean that they’re able to replace the styrofoam blocks on which the houses float with plastic barrels.  The barrels don’t break apart in the same way as styrofoam and are much more environmentally-friendly.

Floating house in Halong Bay

I particularly liked this house – neat and tidy with great, bold colours.

Floating schoolhouse in Halong Bay

There’s a two-room schoolhouse in the village, built with tourist donations.  School teachers from the mainland volunteer their time.  Uncle Ho over the blackboard, of course.

Little girl in rowboat in Halong Bay

Living on the water, the locals adapt quickly.  This little girl was already pretty adept at getting about in a rowboat.  Like every place on earth, it’s the kids that really capture the imagination.

Little girl in Halong Bay

As soon as this tourist boat pulled into the village, this little girl jumped to the helm and pretended to drive.

Islands in Halong Bay at sunset

Sunset over Halong Bay, heading back into port.

Vietnamese boathand at mooring

Our deck hand prepares for us to moor in our overnight sleeping spot.

Princess 3 Junk boat in Halong Bay

The Princess 3, a twin boat to ours, that accompanied us for most of our trip.  Very friendly Australian couple onboard who we bumped into several times when our itineraries crossed.

Aude relaxing on board

Three days at sea did the trick.  Relaxed at last!

Bridge over Halong Bay harbour

Coming back into the harbour at Halong Bay.

  • Tags: