Monday, December 31, 2007
Have a wonderful 2008!
Sandra, Kyaw Kyaw and I wish you all a wonderful, healthy and spectacular 2008 with a lot of fun, adventure and good friends. Enjoy new year's eve and keep in touch!
The last posts of 2007
Just a few pictures of the really really nice weather that Sandra & I got into when we came back to the Netherlands. Of course, now it is grey and rainy but that first week it started with a beautiful frosty day with sunshine and that exquisite crisp air that is so nice to breathe. Sandra was in paradise. She'd be dreaming of that kind of weather for months. And it even snowed for a day. Kids were ice skating on the small ponds and little water ways that are everywhere here in Brielle. A really really old dutch picture. And eventually, at the end of the week it even snowed. Not a lot but enough to give it that nice extra for a day or 2. Of course, Sandra immediately caught a cold. Not a too bad one, considering the difference in temperature was about 25 Celsius!
Brielle harbour
Me on a good hang-out
And looking up close at the frost that covers the twigs
Thursday, December 20, 2007
shame on me...
for promising (again) to post more often and still not doing it.
But we've been busy, Sandra and I. After all, there's still a bit to be arranged. So, first, on saturday we met up with Katinka in Den Haag. Well, i didn't really leave the bag but i took a peek out so i know it was indeed Katinka we met. The 'girls' had a really nice lunch in a cafe and of course talked for hours...
After that, Sandra & I took the new Randstad Rail to Zoetermeer and walked to Ewold & Soerish's house where they celebrated their birthdays (It was Ewold's birthday but Soerish's birthday is only 3 days later). It was a lot of fun. Meeting up with so many old friends. Again, i didn't really came out of my bag. I realized it was more important for Sandra to catch up with here friends. After all, i did meet them just before leaving. They are more her friends then mine. And after a year there was a lot of catching up to do.
Of course everybody was angry with Sandra for taking public transport and then walking to the house (which was about 20 minutes) and everybody was slightly worried since of course she was rather late. She feels good and keeps telling everybody that she's 'only' pregnant and is perfectly capable of walking around a bit. But when she came back on sunday she realized that she'd done a bit much. So even though she's rather stubborn, she needs to slow down a bit and not try to do everything like she did before.
Talking about the pregnancy.. We've met up with the mid wife today. She seems really nice. And if everything goes on like it does now, Sandra can have the baby at home instead of in a hospital (something she prefers since hospitals aren't really her thing...). We got a stack of reading material and Sandra was amazed about how much info and stuff there is about pregnancy. After all, she hasn't been exposed to much of that while being in Burma.....
But we've been busy, Sandra and I. After all, there's still a bit to be arranged. So, first, on saturday we met up with Katinka in Den Haag. Well, i didn't really leave the bag but i took a peek out so i know it was indeed Katinka we met. The 'girls' had a really nice lunch in a cafe and of course talked for hours...
After that, Sandra & I took the new Randstad Rail to Zoetermeer and walked to Ewold & Soerish's house where they celebrated their birthdays (It was Ewold's birthday but Soerish's birthday is only 3 days later). It was a lot of fun. Meeting up with so many old friends. Again, i didn't really came out of my bag. I realized it was more important for Sandra to catch up with here friends. After all, i did meet them just before leaving. They are more her friends then mine. And after a year there was a lot of catching up to do.
Of course everybody was angry with Sandra for taking public transport and then walking to the house (which was about 20 minutes) and everybody was slightly worried since of course she was rather late. She feels good and keeps telling everybody that she's 'only' pregnant and is perfectly capable of walking around a bit. But when she came back on sunday she realized that she'd done a bit much. So even though she's rather stubborn, she needs to slow down a bit and not try to do everything like she did before.
Talking about the pregnancy.. We've met up with the mid wife today. She seems really nice. And if everything goes on like it does now, Sandra can have the baby at home instead of in a hospital (something she prefers since hospitals aren't really her thing...). We got a stack of reading material and Sandra was amazed about how much info and stuff there is about pregnancy. After all, she hasn't been exposed to much of that while being in Burma.....
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Greetings from cold and sunny the Netherlands
It is very nice and cold in The Netherlands. Just the type of weather that Sandra has been dreaming about during the rainy season. Though she's still a bit put off by the darkness. It is still dark at 8 am in the morning and it gets dark real soon too.... I find that strange too i have to admit. I 've gotten used to the sun rising at around 5.30-6-ish and a sunset at around 6 pm.
Sandra managed today to get her insurance arranged. She went back to the company she had before. And the woman she had on the phone was really nice. I don't know what Sandra said or did that made this woman so helpful but she went out of her way to get Sandra insured from the day we arrived here instead of on the first of January like it would normally be. So Sandra is really happy with that. She wasn't particularly looking forward to another 2 uninsured weeks. For pregnancy that is. After all, she does have an insurance for 'normal' things which she's had ever since she's start traveling.
Alright, tomorrow or so i'll write more
Sandra managed today to get her insurance arranged. She went back to the company she had before. And the woman she had on the phone was really nice. I don't know what Sandra said or did that made this woman so helpful but she went out of her way to get Sandra insured from the day we arrived here instead of on the first of January like it would normally be. So Sandra is really happy with that. She wasn't particularly looking forward to another 2 uninsured weeks. For pregnancy that is. After all, she does have an insurance for 'normal' things which she's had ever since she's start traveling.
Alright, tomorrow or so i'll write more
Monday, December 10, 2007
In the Netherlands
We've arrived. Safe and sound. And amazingly not even that tired. Well, Sandra kind of 'logged out' yesterday evening just before dinner for about 15 minutes and decided to go to bed at 21.00. She tells me she can't remember even a single thought after she'd put her head on the pillow. This morning she woke up at 3.00 to go to the toilet and since , like in Burma, she's always awake for quite a while at this time, she'd started to read her book. After all, we do have electricity here. But that kept me awake for a bit. And of course her aunt woke up about an hour later, saw the light and wanted to make sure Sandra was alright so they chatted the rest of the night away... Up till 6 when her aunt had to get ready to go to work. So we got up too. And at the moment the both of us feel quite ok. At 2 in the afternoon. But i'm sure we'll crash again early tonight.
The flight was ok. The seat was not extremely comfortable but not that bad either. Loads of leg space which was nice. And the stewardesses were very helpful. We even got our dinner and breakfast first (it being a veggie meal each time). We even slept a little too. At 1 point Sandra thought we were almost there but after asking about time, it turned out there were another 6 hours to go. And she was bored.... She's read 2,5 books between leaving Burma and landing in the Netherlands......
It is strange to be back here. Very nice but strange. Cold, sunny (at the moment) and electricity all the time. No potholes anywhere in the street, things like that. And when Sandra was thirsty last night, she could just drink water from the tap.
Now we'll have to see about all our plans. So many people to see, places to go to and things to arrange. Sandra keeps saying her brain is a bit too tired for that still but well, i think she's got to get going. At least planning a bit. But we've started on the essentials.
The flight was ok. The seat was not extremely comfortable but not that bad either. Loads of leg space which was nice. And the stewardesses were very helpful. We even got our dinner and breakfast first (it being a veggie meal each time). We even slept a little too. At 1 point Sandra thought we were almost there but after asking about time, it turned out there were another 6 hours to go. And she was bored.... She's read 2,5 books between leaving Burma and landing in the Netherlands......
It is strange to be back here. Very nice but strange. Cold, sunny (at the moment) and electricity all the time. No potholes anywhere in the street, things like that. And when Sandra was thirsty last night, she could just drink water from the tap.
Now we'll have to see about all our plans. So many people to see, places to go to and things to arrange. Sandra keeps saying her brain is a bit too tired for that still but well, i think she's got to get going. At least planning a bit. But we've started on the essentials.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
From BKK airport
Sandra and I have arrived at Bangkok airport. This morning we all shed bitter tears. Kyaw Kyaw was good enough to do that at home (this morning and yesterday evening). Sandra & I of course cried our hearts out at the airport. So we had a fair few people staring at us since it is a very unburmese thing to do.
For the rest we're a bit bored. We've done our boarding. Sort of. We have to 'reconfirm' later on. The China Airlines desk was closed so Sandra went over to the check-in desk. She wanted to make sure that she would have a good seat and that she'd have a vegetarian meal. They wanted to see her doctor's certificate. Well, that was a handwritten statement done by a doctor at the hospital she'd been to 2 weeks ago. They had made an appointment with the same doctor she had 2 weeks ago but that doctor couldn't make it. So she dictated what to write to the other doctor. No check-up or anything. But it was good enough to get her out of Burma. Though not good enough for here. So Sandra has another experience to add to her 'been there, done that' list.. Being prodded by an airport doctor. And luckily everything was alright. So she's done the check-in. Got a boarding pass that she has to exchange for another later tonight but at least she doesn't have to drag around a heavy suitcase or stand in line for hours. We've gone through customs again and apparently can do the final check-in here at the transit desk. Much less nuisance we hope. After all, we'll be tired enough as it is. We did arrive this morning at 11.45 and we'll fly out tonight at 02.30..... Of course the arranging of the doctor's certificate was a bit of excitement but now we're just sitting out the waiting time... So later on we'll be treating ourselves to a foot massage...
Ok, we're off. Internet is terribly expensive here. Much better to use that money for something else (like a huge bar of chocolate for example..).
For the rest we're a bit bored. We've done our boarding. Sort of. We have to 'reconfirm' later on. The China Airlines desk was closed so Sandra went over to the check-in desk. She wanted to make sure that she would have a good seat and that she'd have a vegetarian meal. They wanted to see her doctor's certificate. Well, that was a handwritten statement done by a doctor at the hospital she'd been to 2 weeks ago. They had made an appointment with the same doctor she had 2 weeks ago but that doctor couldn't make it. So she dictated what to write to the other doctor. No check-up or anything. But it was good enough to get her out of Burma. Though not good enough for here. So Sandra has another experience to add to her 'been there, done that' list.. Being prodded by an airport doctor. And luckily everything was alright. So she's done the check-in. Got a boarding pass that she has to exchange for another later tonight but at least she doesn't have to drag around a heavy suitcase or stand in line for hours. We've gone through customs again and apparently can do the final check-in here at the transit desk. Much less nuisance we hope. After all, we'll be tired enough as it is. We did arrive this morning at 11.45 and we'll fly out tonight at 02.30..... Of course the arranging of the doctor's certificate was a bit of excitement but now we're just sitting out the waiting time... So later on we'll be treating ourselves to a foot massage...
Ok, we're off. Internet is terribly expensive here. Much better to use that money for something else (like a huge bar of chocolate for example..).
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Flight tickets
Sandra has our tickets so the 2 of us will be leaving this saturday. She tries not to think of leaving to much even though i can tell she's looking forward to seeing all her friends and family again. Apparently there are no more seats available on the evening flight so we're on standby for that one and are for the moment booked on the morning flight (at around 10) to Bangkok. There we'll have to wait till 02.30 sunday morning to catch the China Airlines non-stop, 12 hour flight to Amsterdam where we'll land on sunday morning 9.00. Aren't time-differences much fun.....
Today we were too late for the german embassy (they're only open from 9 to 11 and not 12 as most consular sections are). So we have to go back again tomorrow. The doctor wasn't in today either so we also have to go by the hospital so she can get her health certificate (Thai airways doesn't want to issue a ticket if she doesn't show the certificate even though the travel agency has already accepted the money ;-) ) . She's assuming it'll all be ok though. And we still haven't found a decent suitcase... Oh well....
Today we were too late for the german embassy (they're only open from 9 to 11 and not 12 as most consular sections are). So we have to go back again tomorrow. The doctor wasn't in today either so we also have to go by the hospital so she can get her health certificate (Thai airways doesn't want to issue a ticket if she doesn't show the certificate even though the travel agency has already accepted the money ;-) ) . She's assuming it'll all be ok though. And we still haven't found a decent suitcase... Oh well....
Monday, December 03, 2007
After the weekend
KK and Sandra are feeling a bit better. Or maybe i should say that they've started to accept the situation. Sandra's flying back to the Netherlands this weekend or shortly after. I'll go with here. KK will move to the Teashop since the apaprtment has only been rented till the 20th of december and besides, he doesn't want to stay there alone.
We all went to the Thai embassy today and to our great surprise there was absolutely no problem with the visa application. At least, that was the impression we got. KK didn't need to show the flight tickets. And they sai dthat they didn't even need a copy of Sandra's passport and the bill of the hospital this time. All because Kyaw Kyaw didn't stay a long time in october. But if this time he will stay long (in case Sandra can have the baby there and so on and so forth) we'll need to have the documentation so we can explain why. Then there shouldn't be too much of a problem. Good news which was nice to have after the fiasco of last week.
Sandra thinks it is a very strange idea to be back in the Netherlands soon. Somehow she stil can't imagine it even though she's managed to find sweaters and a jacket that'll fit right on the corner near where they live. She found it a rather funny experience trying on the sweaters and jacket with an easy 28-30 degrees celcius and thinking about how cold it could get in Europe. After a year of no less than 30 C again it will be a bit different. Although i personally think that the temperature has dropped to about 26 or so at night. We sleep with the windows open and Kyaw Kyaw has 2 (thin) blanckets and even Sandra uses the one she got from Gulf Air last year since she thinks it is a bit cool... Me, i just curl up.
We all went to the Thai embassy today and to our great surprise there was absolutely no problem with the visa application. At least, that was the impression we got. KK didn't need to show the flight tickets. And they sai dthat they didn't even need a copy of Sandra's passport and the bill of the hospital this time. All because Kyaw Kyaw didn't stay a long time in october. But if this time he will stay long (in case Sandra can have the baby there and so on and so forth) we'll need to have the documentation so we can explain why. Then there shouldn't be too much of a problem. Good news which was nice to have after the fiasco of last week.
Sandra thinks it is a very strange idea to be back in the Netherlands soon. Somehow she stil can't imagine it even though she's managed to find sweaters and a jacket that'll fit right on the corner near where they live. She found it a rather funny experience trying on the sweaters and jacket with an easy 28-30 degrees celcius and thinking about how cold it could get in Europe. After a year of no less than 30 C again it will be a bit different. Although i personally think that the temperature has dropped to about 26 or so at night. We sleep with the windows open and Kyaw Kyaw has 2 (thin) blanckets and even Sandra uses the one she got from Gulf Air last year since she thinks it is a bit cool... Me, i just curl up.
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