Latest Blog Entries | STA Travel Blogs

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:56:54 GMT

Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th November - Ha Long Bay Had a very good night's sleep in our hotel last night - despite being in the middle of Hanoi - this place is crazy - horns blaring ALL the time, mopeds flying around everywhere - to cross the road you don't wait or you'd never get across - you literally just walk and don't look and they just drive around you!! There's some very strange smells around but luckily we haven't seen anything too horrifying hanging in any shop windows! We had a 3-hour bus ride into Ha Long bay on Monday morning to get to our 'junk' - a really lovely boat with very smart bedrooms, all ensuite. We had lunch onboard the boat (lots of seafood) then went on a tour around the bay, stopping at some caves and then for kayaking (which Christian and I decided to miss as it was a horrible cold, wet day AGAIN). Back on the boat for the evening we dropped the anchor for the night and had dinner. On Tuesday morning we had breakfast on the boat then headed over to Cat Ba Island, before being taken back to Halong City to have lunch. The weather had still not improved and we've now had no sunshine for about 8 days - not impressed! We spent the evening wandering round Hanoi and deliberating over how to get to our next destination - Vientiene (capital of Laos) - either a 20-hour bus ride that has had horrendous reviews ($15 each) or a one-and-a-half hour flight ($120 each)....

Langkawi, Malaysia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:57:50 GMT

Hi all! Not sure when the last blog was written but here goes! We have arrived in Malaysia after just over 2 weeks island hopping in Thailand. We started in Koh Samui and we went to a full moon party on Koh Phangan which was a lot of fun and then, following the advice of a friend from our original GAP tpur, we headed to Koh Phi Phi. This island probably wouldn't be to everyones taste as it is very smal and extremely touristy. However after all the travelling we had done in the first month and a half we were craving some chill out time! We spent a weekon Phi PHi lying on the beach, doing a boat trip around the island (which included visiting Maya Bay - the place where they filmed The Beach) and we also did some scuba diving which was just fantastic. From there we moved onto Koh Lanta, a much quieter island but again we just enjoyed having time to do nothing.We are now on Langkawi, an island off the west coast of Malaysia. We are moving on to Kuala Lumpur on saturday and we plan to go to Borneo from there, then to Bali then singapore and then home! less than 4 weeks left...time does fly when you're having fun! hope everyone is well we miss you all jay and laura xxx

Surfers Paradise, Queensland

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:57:33 GMT

So near and yet so far. For those familiar with my bowls record this will prove a familiar tale - making it to the final against the odds and then falling at the final hurdle. The main twist to the story is that I played from start to finish in glorious sunshine. I've just got back from Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast where I represented the university at the national Australian University Games alongside four other guys - (from left to right in the photo) Adam, Pham, Matt and Dave. Format was 1 side consisting of 2 pairs and one singles playing in a league of 7 or 6, progressing to knockout stages to determine final positions. We breezed through the league stage without dropping any points, even our weakest pair won most of their games. Competition in the singles was pretty mixed and I recorded a couple of 21-0 scores including one victory inside 6 ends. The toughest match of the league was the final one against Bond Uni. If we lost and Swinbourne won then we would finish in second place and have a tougher draw in the knockout stage. Swinbourne won their game quickly and were soon coming over to check up on us. My singles oponent was more than useful and the game was nip and tuck. One of the pairs games was tight for a while but we pulled through in all three disciplines to top the group unbeaten. Tactical considerations meant a reorganisation of the team for the semi final and I slotted in to skip one of the pairs. In one way it was a shame because I had enjoyed having a challenging match in the Bond Uni game and the Uni of Queensland singles player would have been a real tough game but we couldn't risk me losing as our two pairs teams as they stood would have struggled to both win. Poor Pham took one for the team and got hammered in the singles but he did drag the game out as long as he could. Matt and Adam's game was close for the first half but they gradually pulled away. Our game was more of an obliteration - I took a bowl out on the first end to pick up a full house and we kept going at the same pace. Definitiely the best I played all week as we went on to win by over 20 shots, the oppo only registering their single shot on the very final end. Unfortunately I was outvoted on team formation for the final and we reverted back to our original formation. I scraped through my singles game although the last couple of ends were a bit of an anti climax as the result of the match was already known. Our top pair were always a few shots off the pace and they finished first. The biggest surprise was our weakest pair going into the final end all square. Sadly that was as close as it got - the Charles Sturt Uni lead lumped one right on the jack and it stayed there all end. Such is life. In many ways it was amazing that we came so close. 3 members of our team had never played before. And my 10 years of experience counted for little - don't remember playing on too many 19 second greens in the UK! Add to that the fact that several of our team were playing with bowls which were swinging accross 2 rinks on a long jack and you can see why I didn't fancy our chances. It's not quite honours board material Tim but this silver could have to suffice for your challenge! But bowling was only part of the fun for the week. It was a great atmosphere at the club - two greens full of bowlers plus another two greens' worth sitting out each round; someone else hooked up their laptop to the soundsytem and had music playing accross the greens; and the club ignored the uni games rules which prohibited alcohol sales. One uni had their team manager chanting through his megaphone all week and Charles Sturt had one of their supporters dressed in a cow costume (in temperatures above 30 degrees!) It was great to meet so many Australian guys and gals my age from accross the country and to bond with my teammates (even if I did want to kill Dave most days). Then there was the opening ceremony at Seaworld, nights out at the local clubs and bars, lazing on the most enormous beach and bodysurfing in the sea which was right outside our apartment block, the support we gave and received from a couple of UWS volleyball guys and the Swinbourne bowlers (and the lack of support from our own uni), and the most perfect weather imaginable all week - a stark contrast to the thunderstorms which greeted me when I stepped out onto the Sydney streets this morning. All in all a great week, on and off the green. Downside: managed to miss over a quarter of my legal history course this week and have over 100 pages to read in 48 hours!

Shanghai, China

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:18:21 GMT

Neehow!!!! Hello again having a wicked tim xian was wicked crazy crazy chinese markets the train was not to good the toi tois were rank the toilets in the hotels are really nice and clean and all the hotels have been minta but the public holes are noy so good !! thats all thou the food is minta the trip is full on some grat people am just in a room of my friend erin and lorraine who kindly let me their ace tiny computer to log in ace Still cold cold cold but enjoying everty minute had a egg custtard type bun yesterday adam so look at my photos Mum dont worry we are both fine Been tea tasting in a tea shop and bought chrystnthemum and ginseng oolong tea both gorgeous lovin it lovin it Stee loves it he is juat getting a shanghai map to go to visit everythin tmoz on boat to osaka sat speak soon Love ya Luce and stee xxxxxx

Koh Lipe, Thailand

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:45:03 GMT

Meine Lieben! Vor 10 Tagen kam ich auf der wundervollen Insel Koh Lipe an, geplant waren nur wenige Tage!!!! Es ist erst der Saisonstart, daher passiert hier kaum was, innerhalb dieser Tage oeffnete jeden Tag ein neuer Shop, aber alles niemals wie PhiPhi! Habe hier tasaechlich nur den Strand genossen und nicht so viel gemacht, vor allem war ich 10 Naechte an einem Ort und habe mich voelligst entspannt, so dass ich kaum im Internet war! War sonst auch eher faul, immerhin zweimal Yoga am Strand!!! Selbst der taegliche Abendregen sowie bewoelkte Tage stoerten mich hier nicht! Aber zwei supertolle Schnorcheltrips habe ich gemacht, traumhaft - Heike ich kann jetzt ewig lang relaxt unter Wasser atmen und Schnorcheln;-))) Morgen geht es mit einem 24h Faehre, Bus, Bus, Faehre Trip nach Koh Payam, um Caro und Timo zu treffen, die hoffentlich heute schon gut gelandet sind!!! TravelFee, die Insel kannst Du Deinen Kunden empfehlen und vorher besser selbst auschecken! Tausend Gruesse! Nadine

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:37:34 GMT

Arriving at the ungodly hour of 1 am, 4 hours later than we were told by our travel agent, we really struggled to find a hostel that was either open or not full. In the end, tired and desperate we stopped at a random hotel that looked open, took the first room they showed us and crashed out! The next morning we woke, checked out and headed for the main backpacker area in the centre of town and booked into the Capitol guesthouse - cheap, clean and cable TV (a cambodian necessity apparantley) We were surprised how expensive Phnom Penh turned out to be, with all the prices in US dollars it seemed a lot more than neighbouring Vietnam. Trying to cram all that Cambodia's capital city had to offer in one day and get out to Sihanoukville we went to the riverside for a walk and some brunch. Then we ambushed a tuk tuk driver and convinced him to drive us around for the rest of the day. We got him to take us to the tragic Killing Fields that Pol Pot used to commit mass homicide. It was brutal to say the least. We got a guide to take us around the area and tell us in more detail what went on, he told us about the S-21 prison based in Phnom Penh where the prisoners were tortured before being sent to the Killing Fields so we headed there after. Whilst there we bumped into a few people we had meant in Laos so decided to meet up for a drink later that night, much needed after a day learning about Cambodia's grim recent history. Meeting up on the Riverside later that night we had a few drinks and a good catch up but didnt stay out too late as we had tobe up at 7:30am to catch our bus to Sihanoukville. Whilst waiting for the bus we spotted our friend in a tuk tuk on her way home from the night before, haha. classic. Next stop Sihanoukville and a BEACH!

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:24:32 GMT

Efterlängtat med sol och bad!! Nu har vi varit i Sihanoukville i några dagar och det har varit så skönt att bara ta det lugnt och koppla av i värmen. Sihanoukville ligger i södra Kambodja och är väl eller håller väl på att bli ett ganska etablerat turistmål. Fortfarande inte den standarden man är van vid när man tänker på ett turistställe, men lugnt och skönt. Tog bussen från Siem Reap hit tidigt på morgonen i söndags, men kom inte fram förrän rätt så sent på kvällen. Vägarna här är inte de bästa, någon motorväg finns det inte att tala om, inte ens en som leder till huvudstaden Phnom Penh som vi körde igenom. Bussen var väl helt ok, aircondition fanns vilket var det viktigaste..i övrigt ganska tacky! gröna skinnsäten, blommig inredning och en anning färgade lampor, hade inte förvånat oss om de dragit igång något on the road disco där på bussen när det blev mörkt på kvällen. Avstånden mellan städerna är inte speciellt långa egentligen men på de här vägarna går det inte snabbt, bussen rörde sig i dryga 50 ..eller kanske lite snabbare men det kändes som det. Dessutom var bussen fulllastad med både passagerare och annat, 4 stycken motorcyklar (små), en tvättmaskin och en frysbox. jaja...allt och alla skulle få plats :) Stannade några gånger för att pausa under bussresan på öde ställen längst vägen. På ett stopp fick sig en kinesisk kille en smärre chock. Han hade precis varit och handlat något i den lite skabbiga kiosken som låg vid vägen där vid stannat då en kille, eller man...svårt att säga hur gammal han var kom ut från ingenstans iklädd endast ett höftskynke gjort av platspåsar. Den här killen då, med höftskynket, en riktig vilding med stort tovigt hår smög sig på den kinesiska killen och snodde åt sig hans mat! sprang sedan en bit längre bort och satte sig på en sten och åt det, mer eller mindre som ett djur. Här var vi verkligen in the wild...en kul syn för oss i bussen, mindre kul för den kinesiska killen! vem som helst hade blivit livrädd! Kom i alla fall tills*** fram och hamnade efter ett tips från några andra svenskar på ett hotel precis vid stranden. Ett bra hotel med pool och fräsha rum. Överlyckliga för detta somnade vi gött efter den långa bussturen. I några dagar nu har vi bara slappat, solat och badat. På stranden kryllar det dock av en mängd försäljare vilket är mindre roligt. De säljer allt från massage till skaldjur som de gått runt med en hel dag i värmen ...kanske inte något för den svenska magen precis ;) men men... myggen är också jobbiga och många här, vet inte vilka som är mest irriterande. En kul grej när man är ute och äter här är att dom inte precis tänker på att det är trevligt att äta sin mat samtidigt som de andra i sitt sällskap. Beställer vi mat här får den ena av oss oftast maten då den andra redan är klar med sin..något man inte direkt är can vid. Förövrigt är dom annars väldigt trevliga här och vill gärna göra ett bra jobb ifrån sig. Springer i princip fram till ens bord såfort man visar minsta intresse på att man vill något. På lördag blir det åter en trevlig tur med bussen med de något klibbiga gröna skinnsätena igen, 5 timmar (drygt 20 mil!) upp till Phnom Penh, huvudstaden. Men innan dess ska vi ligga vid stranden och ta igenom oss och ladda psykiskt för den skumpiga bussturen som väntar oss på lördag!

Lurang Prabang, Laos

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:59:18 GMT

Laos Luang Prabang - Wednesday 4th November till Saturday 7th November We flew from Hanoi at 6.30pm, upon boarding the plan we had to laugh!!! We knew Laos airlines were pretty new to the whole flying scene, but the plane we were about to board looked like it was taken out of a museum. It was a teeny tiny plane with….Propellers. The plane may have looked dodgy but the interior was something else…if you haven’t seen the picture….the seats were covered with a flower pattern and the most bright neon colors you could imagine!!! I loved it. The cabin crew consisted of one young lady (more like a girl) but we couldn’t fault her. The service was excellent and we even got a free drink and a snack box, which consisted of the best plane food we have ever had. We landed in Laos at 7.30pm and were pretty impressed with what we saw. The airport was tiny but very clean and organized, it took about half an hour in total to get our visa sorted, go through passport control and collect out bags, which were all in the same room!! Leaving the airport we didn’t know what to expect as we were so used to the hassle we got in Vietnam….but it was the most organized place we had been too!! Outside was a taxi booth where you payed a set fee for a Tuk Tuk to take you to your destination…how easy is that!!! We checked into our guesthouse which was run by a French Guy and his Laos wife, our room was basic but clean. In Vietnam we had got used to air con and cable TV…our dream had been shattered when we had none of this hehe!!! The fun began of figuring out how to put up the mossie net with no screws anywhere in the walls…100% improvisation was put into it!! With the mossie net assembled we headed out to explore the little town, 100 meters down the road was the night market. We had a little wonder round looking at the stalls and was so pleased how little hassle you got from the locals…it was bliss!! We headed back to the guesthouse for our first nights kip under the net and no air con!!!! Our first day in Luang Prabang started with breakfast at JoMa café…a lovely modern coffee house (would put starbucks to shame) we enjoyed a coffee each, Willoughby enjoyed a chocolate croissant while I tucked into a multigrain bagel with homemade jam uuuummmm it was so yummy!!!! After breakfast we went next door to the tour company, here we booked our elephant day tour, the bus to Vang Vien and our flight to Cambodia…I think they saw us coming hehe!!! Our sales assistant was hilarious, everything we said she just giggled at….maybe it was us but she just laughed continuously!!! We were there pretty much a whole hour, we then asked her where we could go to hire some cycle bikes….guess what they hired cycle bikes!!!! Bonus…a little discount later we cycled off to explore the town and surrounding areas!!!! It was beautiful , we cycled around the town. A very pretty place, you would not think you were in one of the 5 poorest countries in the world. The streets were so clean and the roads all well made, it put Vietnam to shame but it also put our towns and villages to shame with it cleanliness etc. To be honest you would have thought you were in a remote place in Italy or France!! We fell in love with it. We cycled along the riverside, along all the little quaint streets, stopping of for the occasional beer Lao and snack. Before we knew it we had cycled around for 5 hours, we gave the bikes back and heading back to the guesthouse to freshen up!!! We then took some time strolling around the night market, getting some bargains! We brought Willoughby a Beer Lao T-shirt, Marcie a cute little local Lao outfit, I got some bracelets and 2 small hand painted prints for a grand total of 85,000 kip so about 5 quid!!! Once we were all bargained out we sat down and enjoyed a lovely dinner of local cuisine! The second day was an early start…today was elephant day!!!!! We were so excited woop woop. We got picked up from the tour company at 8am, it took about 30 mins to reach the elephant ranch!! There they were 2 beautiful Nelly the elephants….we were with 2 other couples and the tour guide. One couple were in there 60’s and were South African but lived in Singapore, they had pretty much travelled most of Asia. The other were around the same age as us, but they were German. It was time for the elephant ride through the jungle, as there were 6 of us and we had payed for the whole day’s tour. We got to ride the elephants the traditional way, on the back of their neck!!! The others sat on a seat on the elephants back. We climbed the steps to the platform, where we then placed ourselves on the elephants. Wow it was high, at first it didn’t feel very safe but after a while you soon learnt how to relax. It was all about balance, the elephants were guided by a local guy who worked with them every day. We were taken through the jungle for just over an hour, the experience was breathtaking, and it is hard to describe what it was like. One thing we will not forget for a long long time!!! Once we had gone back to camp it was time to explore the caves. We took the mini bus down to the coast, about 15 mins drive. Here we had to get on a very dodgy narrow fishing boat to take us across the river to the caves. The caves were pretty rubbish, they didn’t compare to the one we saw in Halong Bay. Once we had finished at the caves we headed back to the elephant ranch for lunch. We were then asked if we were ready for the elephant bathing, we looked at each other, a little confused!! We weren’t sure what we had actually payed for when booking the tour but to our surprise we had payed to bath the elephants in the river. The seats were taken off the elephants and we had to climb on them, this was a laugh. The elephants are 9-10ft tall….for little Kimmy this was tough. A little help from one of the local guys was appreciated, even if he did have to grab my arse!!! Even Willoughby struggled to get on his elephant, once seated properly we headed down to the river. The 2 local guys stayed with us to help guide the elephants in the right direction, they did teach us but we weren’t exactly that confidant!!! We enjoyed an hour bathing the elephants, the one I had got on was the cheeky one of the 2!!! Lucky for Willoughby, he didn’t get to wet. Unlucky for me I did, no one told me how much my elephant enjoyed the water!!! As the pictures show, I got pretty wet….she loved ducking down under the water!!! She never gave me any warning though, she just dived under!!! We both were amazed at the experience we were getting, the other couples on the tour just had to sit back and wait for us!!! Bathing them was the most amazing and memorable experience since being on this trip, again…words cannot explain how good it was!!! After the elephants it was time to visit the waterfalls. It took about 20 mins to drive there. We then had to get on another dodgy narrow fishing boat before arriving at the waterfalls. They were stunning to see, the most fresh and clear blue water you have seen, it was bloody cold though, hence why you haven’t seen any pictures of us in the water!!! That didn’t stop the tour guide enjoying a dip…we think it was probably his chance of a good bath hehe. We spent about an hour here before heading back to town. We spent a few hours chilling our before finding somewhere for dinner. We took a stroll along the riverside, where we found a really nice restaurant!! We both enjoyed a really good meal with a few beers. It was all good apart from when I was attacked by a caterpillar….suddenly from nowhere some green prickly thing landed on me!!! AARRRHHHH it hurt. Our last day in Luang Prabang was short and sweet, we got picked up at 10am to make our way to Vang Vien for Tubing………

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:52:34 GMT

So we settled in Chiang Mai for a while, a nice change of pace after once again passing through through the scam-ridden, lovely little city of Bangkok. We arrived there (at the bus station) after another sleepless over nightbus journey to argue with several taxi drivers who wanted to charge us 300 baht for the '25km' journey into town, none of whom liked being told its was only 4.5km and should cost around 120 baht....(i'd done my research). Eventually we managed to get a taxi who would put the fare on the meter and belive it or not 10 mins later at the cost of 129 baht we arrived exactly where we wanted!!!!!! Another overnight bus to Chiang Mai from Bangkok, involved us being taken by pick-up truck to a bus on the hard shoulder of the motorway (I think the same bus that had failed to stop and pick us up 30 minutes earlier...) much to the amusement, relief of the other 30 passengers waiting for us. So we arrived Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand, a beautiful little town, thats extreme adventure heaven. We spent yesterday at a Thai cooking school, so armed with knowledge, a recipie book and the pictures on here, we will attempt to recreate some of the food we made when we return (if we can find the ingredients). We are planning on a trek in a few days - jungle/elephants/bamboo rafting and white water rafting, and tomorrow downhill mountain biking. Love lots Rich and Em xxxx

Hanoi And Halong Bay, Vietnam

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:28:30 GMT

Vietnam – Hanoi and Halong Bay 28th Wednesday October Arrived in Hanoi about 20.30, had to wait for our taxi for about 40 mins!! We had pre-booked a taxi through the guesthouse we had booked as Hanoi airport is well known for its taxi mafia….people are always getting ripped off by dodgy taxi firms!!! There was a lot of traffic going into Hanoi so it took 2 hours in total to reach our guesthouse. Our first impressions were very good as we both got a free bottle of water and were greeted by the nicest lady ever at reception. Checked in finally at 11pm….straight to bed!!! 29th Thursday October Enjoyed our free breakfast at the guesthouse….baguette and jam!!! Before heading out we booked our Halong Bay tour with the company at the guesthouse. We would be returning back to Hanoi after Halong Bay to spend time with Lucy, so we didn’t want to see too much of the city before then. So we took a leisurely stroll around trying to make our way to the lake. We were amazed at how different Hanoi was compared to Ho Chi Minh City, the streets within the old quarter were very narrow and just crazy!!! We were only strolling for about an hour before we got stung by some fruit ladies! Firstly they approached us by putting their fruit basket carrier on my shoulder…saying take picture take picture…so we thought great…lets take a picture!! Before we knew it they had done the same to Ryan and then had sneakily put a bag of fruit in each of our hands!!! This was all very well however they wanted 50,000 dong each….we were horrified at how quickly the sneaky devils could rip you off….so we refused to spend that much and was able to bargain them down to 20,000 and only one bag of fruit. When we finally escaped them we were able to find the lake. We got about half way around the lake when the heavens decided to open…we darted into the shoe market for cover, which didn’t work too well. Within 10 mins we were both soaked, we decided to stop in some local café and had some local soup dish!!! Still soaked we gave up and just walked back to the guesthouse to dry off. We spent the next few hours waiting for the rain to stop, while filling out the travel diary!!! Once is decided to stop we showered and headed out for some dinner. 30th Friday October Up super early for our trip to Halong Bay. We had chosen the deluxe tour package, a total of 20 people on the tour. We got picked up from the guesthouse at 8pm and made the 3 hour journey in the worst minivan ever, the driver thought it would be a great idea to keep his window open. Because of this the bus was then ridden with Mosquito’s!!!! I alone killed 13…the window next to us had become a mosquito grave yard within minutes!!!!! By the time we reached Halong city we were very pleased to get off the bus, however was not pleased with the bites around our feet and legs!!! From Halong City we boarded a small boat which took us to the mini cruise boat where we will start our voyage around Halong Bay. Once everyone was on the boat we were greeted by a welcome drink each before checking into our cabin. The cabin was lovely, probably bigger than some hostel rooms we had stayed in. It also had its own bathroom with a shower, which actually had a cubicle!!!! Once we had dumped our bags down, we headed up on deck for lunch. The boat had already set sail….already the sights were amazing. Clear blue seas and hundreds of islands surrounded us. We enjoyed our lunch, which consisted of fresh bbq shrimps, rice, squid stir fry (Yuk), tofu sweet n sour dish, morning glory (looks like spinach but in fact a type of weed), chips and some chicken stir fry. All very good…apart from the squid!!! Over lunch we got talking to some other couples, Craig and Carly were from the same guesthouse. After we had finished lunch we all headed up on the top deck to enjoy the scenery and sun. We sailed for about an hour before arriving at the caves, we were pleasantly surprised at the size of the caves. They were huge, very colorful and interesting. Overall it took about an hour to walk through them, once finished we all climbed back on the small boat which took us to a floating fishing village. Here we saw some horrid strange looking fish…no idea what they were called but they weren’t pleasant! We also had half an hour of Kayaking around the village, Kimmy wasn’t very good at this!!! We could have had longer but our guide recommended we got back to the boat in time for the sunset. Wow he was right, it was beautiful from the top deck….the sun set in between the islands. We then had some free time to swim and jump off the boat. Ryan and the guys on board were brave enough to jump from the top deck, but Kimmy and some of the girls would only jump from the bottom deck hehe. The sea was lovely and refreshing, extremely salty though. Once everyone had showered etc, we all sat down for dinner at 6.30pm. Dinner was exactly the same as lunch, apart from some spring rolls and another fishy dish (this was actually pretty good). Over a few beers everyone had got to know each other well, it was nice chatting and finding out about the other places people had been too. Most people had already been to Laos….it was here we got to learn about Tubing!!!! We spent the rest of the evening fishing off the boat and drinking. 2 of the guys managed to catch some squid, this was interesting to watch. As the squid inked all over the boat, one of the squid was pretty big so one of the men who worked on the boat took it to cook!!! 31st Saturday October Happy Halloween…… Started the day nice and early…breakfast at 8am! We had to say goodbye to the people in the group, which were only doing the 2 day tour. We were then taken off on another smaller boat to continue the tour. We were on the smaller boat for about 2 hours before we arrived at an island for cycling. We all asked the tour guide if we needed to change our flip flops for shoes, but he said no!!!! Off we went to choose our cycle bike. We cycled for about an hour before arriving at some small village. Here we enjoyed a nice chilled drink, before setting off on some trek through the jungle land!!! We were walking for about 10 mins before it dawned on me that we should have worn shoes….flip flops weren’t designed for trekking!!! We trekked through some pitch black cave, down some steep rocky bank, crossed some stream where there was a single bamboo pole to balance ourselves across!! Again not easy in flip flops. In total we trekked for about an hour, so overall it wasn’t too long…but long enough to put us off doing one in Thailand! We then got back on the bikes and cycled back to the boat. It was good to cycle across the island as you got too see how the local people lived. Back on board the boat to make our way to the next island. This island was small and the beach was only about 100 meters long. After the cycle ride we were all pretty hungry, so we all tucked into a bbq lunch! Guess what….shrimp, rice, tofu, chicken….we were getting a good pattern going now for our meals!!! No wonder they were all included. After lunch we had about an hour to chill out on the beach. Me and Willoughby decided to do some more kayaking….the water was lovely and clear a lot nicer than the day before. It was here that Willoughby set up his gorilla pod and camera to take that good picture of us in the sea with islands in the background!! We then had to squeeze all 20 of us on this handmade fishing boat, which realistically was only big enough for about 4 people!!! We didn’t see much point either as the boat only took us 50 meters to get back on the original boat. We then sailed for an hour to Monkey Island…this was a slightly bigger island with a bigger beach. It had little monkeys roaming around, the water again was very clear however was very chilly…this was lovely and refreshing though as the sun was extremely hot! We actually spent the whole hour in the sea chatting to Craig and Carly. Before we knew it our tour guide was calling us back to the boat!!! We then made the journey to Cat Ba Island where we would be staying for the night. We were taken by bus and dropped off at the hotel. This was a lovely 4* hotel, which overlooked the harbor. Our room also had a sea view….we had a few hours to chill out before we all met at 6pm for dinner!! Were we had….you guessed it….shrimp, rice, spring rolls, chicken, tofu (all we wanted was some god damn noodles for a change)!!!!! After dinner we were taken to a local bar, where we all got welcomed with some rice wine shot!!! Here we consumed copious amounts of tiger beer while watching Spurs Vs Arsenal game followed by Fulham Vs Liverpool….before we all knew it was 1am!!!!! We then stumbled back to the hotel to enjoy our 5 hours sleep before breakfast in the morning!!!!! 1st Sunday November Not an impressive start to the day….alarm goes at 6am!!!! Up early to fit in our free breakfast before heading back to Halong City. The free breakfast at the hotel was “amazing” a buffet fit for a king! Kimmy enjoyed her 2 bowels of cereal…coco flakes while Willoughby tucked into his bacon, eggs, sausage and toast!! Followed by lots of coffee to wake us up. The fresh juice was lovely as well. Of course it would have been rude not to go back for seconds…which we did! After we had enjoyed breakfast it was back on the boat, 3 hours of blissfully taking in the scenery before we reached Halong City. Here we had our last free meal, nothing special just the same old food we had been given all the other times. By now we were craving some noodles or even a sneaky Western meal!!! After lunch we were crammed onto a mini bus to enjoy the 4 hour drive back to Hanoi….Lucy time to commence!!! Back in Hanoi we collected our bags and made our way by taxi to Lucy and Chace’s apartment. We were greeted by them straight away…big hugs for Lucy. Was so good to see her, it felt random as we were in Vietnam but damn good. As soon as we entered the reception at the block of apartments we were pleasantly approached by their landlady….what a b****!!!! Landlady from hell, she wasn’t too impressed to see that we were gonna be staying with them. Firstly she couldn’t get around how 4 people are going to sleep in a 2 bedroom place! The religion in Vietnam means that couples are not allowed to sleep in the same room until they are married! Watching her try to figure this out in her head was pretty funny, after 10 mins of sweet talking from Chace she agreed that we could stay for one night ONLY!!! After we had got over the funny episode with the landlady we caught up a bit at the apartment before heading out for dinner. The apartment was really nice where they were staying, I was extremely impressed by the luxury shower!! Chace took us to a bar he knew, where we enjoyed a nice dinner. While leaving the bar we were all suddenly star struck as before our eyes was not only….Lou Carpenter from Neighbors!!! How random is that. For dessert he took us to “Fannys” the nicest ice cream parlor you could ever imaging!! I enjoyed a nice sorbet dish of 3 different flavors and Ryan being the biggest ice cream fan had 3 different types (mainly chocolate)!!! Lucy was impressed with this place, so impressed she thought there were more than 1 of them dotted around the lake, only to find out there was the one!! She hadn’t quite got her bearings yet!! 2nd Monday November Chace sadly had to go back to work today so it was the 3 of us left to explore the crazy city. We had a pretty chilled out morning, finally headed out about midday! Grabbed a taxi into the old quarter, where we had a wonder around the lake before trying to find the HSBC building!! That took us near enough an hour, leaving the bank Lucy was pretty much a millionaire in dong terms with her big wod of cash!! Heading back towards the lake we stumbled across a very nice dinner where we all enjoyed a chicken sarnie with chips….man it tasted good!!!! We spent the afternoon just generally wondering around taking in the crazy sites of Hanoi, so far Lucy wasn’t too impressed bless her. Was so glad to be there with her, helping her try to settle in and gain her bearings. As the landlady wouldn’t allow us to spend another night with Lucy and Chace, we went on the mission to find a guesthouse for the next few nights left in the city. We checked out a few places but there were all a little out our budget, the next place we went to ended up giving us a bargain. A double room was $25 however we said we couldn’t afford that he then proceeded to bargain with us. In the end we got the room for $15 a night. It was lovely…so good that it had a bath tub!!! We all headed back to Lucy’s place to grab our bags. Spent a few hours chatting to Lucy until Chace got back from work, little did we know that he had received some s***ty email from his landlady!! She wanted us to fill in a form with all our passport details etc I we were to stay another night, luckily we avoided any more hassle by booking into the hotel in town. Poor Chace had got a bit of an earful so we felt bad if we stayed anymore. Once we got to the hotel it was pretty late so we just child out and relaxed…enjoying the room!!! 3rd Tuesday November We enjoyed breakfast at a local café on the balcony overlooking the central square, watching the craziness below!!! At 1pm we met Lucy by the Lake where we had a stroll around before stopping at a café. We sat outside overlooking the Lake, the 3 of us enjoyed a drink while chatting away. Before we knew it a few hours past, before heading off we enjoyed a plate of spring rolls!! We decided to head into the old quarter to find the indoor market which was in the guide book. We found it but were a little disappointed by what it was….it was huge but was a dive!!! The only thing I brought was a key ring to add to my collection and Lucy brought a face mask to wear when on Chace’s motorbike. Ryan even felt someone try to get into his backpack, so after this we quickly made an exit!!! Back to the Lake where we took Lucy to a local bakery which we had found a few days earlier, we all enjoyed a little cake each while sitting by the lake. As you have properly gathered the lake was the nicest place to be when in Hanoi….we wasn’t impressed with the city. It was too busy and the people were all out for your cash, we preferred the south of Vietnam!!! In the evening we had arranged to meet up with Lucy and Chace for the last time before we flew to Laos the next day. We met them in the centre, Chace then took us to a really nice restaurant. More of a locals place with hardly any Westerners. It was lovely, set outside in a big garden area. The food was also excellent and cheap cheap!!! After dinner we headed back in the centre where we enjoyed a yummy chocolate brownie at one of the coffee places, overlooking the busy streets. It was finally time to say our goodbyes to Lucy and Chace…Boo Hoo!!!! Next adventure....Laos!!!!

Borneo, Malaysia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:47:23 GMT

After being ill for four days I had missed lots of work so was eager to get back. I had 5 days left of my final placement – husbandry. In the morning of the placement, first thing – we trek for half an hour to a platform in the jungle where the rangers observe the orang-utans that have been through the rehabilitation process at sepilok and have been released into the wild. There are lots of orang-utans that come here every day – mainly for food but I also think to see all their friends. We simply go and observe them all eating, drinking and being wild orang-utans. This is my favourite part of the placement as the orang-utans are finally able to be free and being able to watch how they interact with each other in the wild is incredible. We have seen about 20 orangutans here from day to day. Once they are ready to be set free into the wild they are marked with a number so they can be easily identified in case of an accident – they also all have names. Some of their names are Toby, Broc, Naru, Rosa, Rosalinda, Ostin, Hope, Eniro, Anne, Ankong, Tompong, Oscar, Tiger, Mishkam, Mariko, Mimi, Roni and C-Chel, Sogo Sogo, Atama and many many more. Toby and Broc are the naughtiest ones and we always need to watch out for them. I can notice Naru really well as he has loads of freckles all over his face. Rosa is also really recognisible as she is the smallest and is 9 years old. Oscar, Tiger and Mishkam are the big males and were scary at first but now are pretty big softies. Sogo Sogo holds a special place in my heart, she is 5, really furry and ginger with a beautiful face and is the newest released rehabilitated orang-utans. She came in to Sepilok when she was orphaned at 1 years old. She is being tracked by a primatologist here from Canada – Lauren and a few research assistants. Their job is basically to follow her around the jungle on the ground though whilst she is in the trees and observe her behaviour. This is to check nothing happens to her in her first few months of being released. For the rest of the morning and in the afternoon also we go down to the tourist platform where the tourists watch the orang-utans being fed and are our job is to look out for the welfare of the orang-utans. Therefore we make sure the tourists are quiet, they don’t get too close to any wildlife, they don’t use flashes and so on, and we are also there to answer any questions the tourists have. However it is never as simple as that – a lot of the orang-utans as they have come through the sepilok rehabilation process are quite tame and therefore think it’s acceptable to come climbing down to the tourist platform where the tourists are standing. However if one of the tourists happened to touch the orang-utan then they would have to be put in quarantine for 3 months to be tested for any diseases that the person could have passed on, thus it is important for us to keep the tourists far away from the orang-utans. Sogo Sogo as she is newly rehabilated keeps coming down to tourist platform, on my first day she came down three times and we have to walk her off the platform, sometimes enticing her with bananas to get her off as safely and quickly as possible. We then have to make sure she got back into the jungle safely. I think Sogo is quite lonely at the moment as her friend Atama (also newly rehabilitated) is ill at the moment and is in the clinic. Usually you can’t find these two apart but at the moment Sogo is just wondering around the jungle on her own. I think this is another reason why she keeps coming down to the tourist platform. Unfortunately on Wednesday, Sogo didn’t come down from her nest so they had to entice her down with food at midday to check whether she was ill. They will take her to the clinic to be tested and I will keep you updated. But it is very unusual for an orang-utan not to have come out of their nests by midday – especially when there is food at the feeding platform. However there is another orang-utan that is a similar age to Sogo and that is Roni. Roni is also 5 and the son of Mimi. Mimi came to Sepilok when she was young and went through the rehabilitation process and then released into the wild. She had Roni by herself in the jungle and also only last month had another baby C-Chel who is tiny and absolutely gorgeous. C-Chel just holds onto her mothers stomach all day and Roni is never too far away from Mimi. Usually young orang-utans stay with their mothers till about 6-7 years old but because C-Chel was born, Roni had to mature earlier than usual. If Roni is about, you know Mimi isn’t far away. So since C-Chel was born, Mimi has been occupied and therefore giving Roni lots of time to play with my favourite, Sogo. Roni as he was born in the wild is a much better climber than Sogo but it is really nice to see them playing together. Roni is also not scared of anything – he goes and teases the macaques and also the older orang-utans too – he is ruthless. But Sogo on the other hand is not so confident and you often she her hanging back from the feeding platform waiting for the big males and females to leave before she can get some food. As for the older orang-utans – Mishkam has his eye on two ladies for mating at the moment – Eyos and Britt. The other day, Britt and Mishkam were playing on the feeding platform and Eyos hung near us just squealing and kissing her lips at them – I think this means she wasn’t happy and slightly jealous. There are also lots of adventures on the tourist platform. One in particular was on Wednesday; we had 5 orang-utans come down onto the tourist platform. Our main goal when this happens is to get the orang-utans away from the tourists as quickly as possible and back into the jungle. However we also want to have the least amount of contact with them as well. One orang-utan Oscar who is always playing up came down and as I offered my hand to walk with him, he just climbed on to me. This isn’t the best scenario but I walked off the platform quickly. Oscar is a big male and weighs close to 40kilos. I walked a few minutes into the jungle to drop him at a tree but he just wouldn’t get off me. I then slipped on the mud with him on my back and even when I was stuck in the mud, he still wouldn’t get off. It was so difficult pulling myself out of the mud with a 40kilo orang-utan on my back. I went to find some rangers to ask for some help getting him off but they told me I would just have to walk 30 minutes into the jungle with him as that is where he wants to go. I walked uphill with him on me and it was extremely exhausting – the rangers had to push us up the hill as he was so heavy. I had had enough by half way and asked if they could try and get him off and as they did, all he was doing was trying to bite them. He was very happy on me. As he got more aggravated, his grip around me got tighter and he didn’t mean it to hurt me, he just didn’t know his own strength. He had his arm wrapped around my neck and was choking me. This went on for ten minutes before they managed to get him down and then he ran off on his own. I came back to the tourist platform extremely flustered. The tourist platform has been a great experience, it has been amazing talking to the tourists about the orang-utans and realising how much I have learnt about them. The whole placement has been incredible. I now have such a keen interest in conservation and the rehabilitation of orang-utans. I feel I have learnt so much from all the rangers working at Sepilok as well as the malay locals. I have learnt loads about the rainforest, insects and birds, as well as lots of primates. I would recommend volunteering at Sepilok to anyone. Being able to watch the babies progressing at climbing as well as watching the rehabilitated orang-utans interacting in the wild has been extraordinary. I am going to be so sad to leave here on Saturday and also to leave all the wonderful people I have met. Today is Thursday and our last day of work. Tomorrow is my birthday and our last day at Sepilok, we are having a farewell party to say goodbye and then head to Rasa Ria for our last night before going our separate ways on Sunday.

Timaru, New Zealand

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:21:24 GMT

Sorry everyone for the delay in our update, i know there are a few of you eagerly awaiting updates as to how we are getting on.... We have had computer trouble and internet is expensive, like everything here on the South Island of New Zealand, so we are trying to limit ourselves, to logging on every few days!!!! The weather had been good, warming up slightly, so rather than staying in disappointing Westport, we decided to head to Franz Josef, to see the glacier. On arriving the clouds were down as low as the tree tops as we were so high up, and the weather had changed to rain and mist, despite the good forcasts! We decided to spend the next day in the town and find out about hiking either the Foz or Franz Josef glacier. Decided to do the all day hike on the Franz, giving us up to 6 hours on the ice. The Glacier guides company give you all the gear you need and allow you to split into groups going at different speeds. Once loaded onto the bus there is a 10 minute ride to the foot of the glacier, before the stat of the days hiking. In a group of about 10 of us, we made our way along the 2.5km walk to the base of the glacier over rocks (which was tiring enough!), where we were then briefed and helped into our crampons (metal spikes, to help you grip to the ice). Even from this distance the view of the glacier was amazing, although you could feel a sense of danger, seeing the rocks and ice piled at the base, which had quite obviously slid off it at some point! Steve, our guide led the way, taking us up steep steps which are each re cut every morning by trained guides. Some of them needing to be cut again as we climbed, so we were stopping and starting frequently allowing people to catch their breath! Spending 6 hours on the ice we scrambelled through huge cravasses up to 70 metres high and half a metre wide, and could hear the sound of the rivers flowing deep benieth us, which was pretty nervewracking. The ice is constantly changing and you feel this as you descend back down the glacier. Steps and walk ways created on our way up had dissappeared, and the weather conditions vary. At some points we had just t-shirts but when the rain came down it was freezing! The rain made the glacier even more beautiful, creating channels of water as waterfalls poured off the mountains around us! AT the end of the day we were both absolutely nackered, but agreed that this was the best day of our trip so far. Anyone in a glacier region should definitely take the opportunity to go on one of these trips, it really is an amazing experiance and the scenery is spectacular. Once back in the town we elected to save our complimentary use of the local spas until the morning and treat ourselves to a well earned stake!! The Speights Landing Bar and Restaurant serves great food to anyone heading out there! Laura had the Johnny Cash Ribs – Cosmic!! Next stop on the west coast was Wanaka, which had been recommended by just about everyone we have met who likened it to Queenstown but less touristy. On the way south of Franz Josef we called in at the Fox Glacier which was also beautiful. It is a bit smaller, but has the most amazing pools of turquoise water around the base. We were both walking gingerly after the all day climb yesterday!! We took photos and began the 4 hour drive to Wanaka. We stopped at Bruce Bay to build a rock tower on the wall like everyone else! Although a long drive we stopped off at every possible point along the costal road, taking pictures of the amazing scenary, snow capped mountains, winding blue rivers and lakes, and hills and mountains for miles around, both of us getting the feeling we were going to enjoy Wanaka! Day 1 Wanaka: Woke up early to clear blue skies......Perfect for a SkyDive!!!!!! So headed to the airport, where we were told the only slots for the day were late afternoon, or the cancellation slot straight away which they could fit us in to!!! We both decided to get it over and done with, and after signing our lives away and wondering why we were doing this to ourselves we were briefed, donned multi coloured overals and told to wait. Andy began to relax after looking green for almost the entirety of the briefing, while i seemed to get more and more nervous. We were then introduced to our tandem skydive instructers who had both done over 15000 jumps (much more reassuring!). From then on everything happened too quickly! Next thing we knew we were strapped to total strangers, in a tiny plane with the door open, soaring along the run way, i had my heart in my mouth, and Andy couldnt stop grinning. Later it emerged that this had been for my sake, as he too was crapping himself and was trying to reassure me, convinced i was going to bottle it!) Andy was the last one in the plane which meant first one out, and me second! One minuite we were sitting inside the plane, next thing we were tumbelling out at 15000feet, freefalling for 60seconds..... these 60 seconds were quite honestly the longest 60 seconds of my entire life, Andy thought that was the best bit!!!!! Everything rushing through my mind, i couldnt wait for the parachute to open, and when it did i began to enjoy the experience, seeing snow top mountains, green fields, lake wanaka, and Mount Cook, floating gently to the ground, a truely unforgettable experience! I then realised i couldnt see Andy and was relieved that he too was gliding down (attatched to his Manchester Uniter Red parachute) he was also enjoying the whole experience, both landing seconds after each. Andy wanted to go and do it all over again, whilst I was just relieved that we both survived! I can say quite honestly that im so glad i had the courage to do the dive, but i dont need to do it again, i have definatly ticked it off my “Things to do” list!!! (Mum you can relax now because its the most daring thing i will ever do! Sorry Jane, i think its just made Andy more curious, he wants to dive solo next time!!!!!) Both enjoying Wanaka so much and having time to spear we stayed 4 days, sampling the local lager (Brewski) and meeting Irish couple Emma and Sean! The weather was beautiful here and we enjoyed the farmers market, buying locally made honey and beautiful smoked cheese! We visited Puzzeling World, which really was a brain teaser (Jane you would love it!) here we spent hours getting lost in a crazy maze and both tried to do the puzzels, which i promptly gave up on, Andy on the other hand kept trying to finish them, but in the end he too was defeated, walking out of the place telling me he just wasn’t clever enough, i knew i wasn’t!! So we soaked up the sun relaxing by Lake Wanaka, something which we are both better at, although not brave enough to swim in it, as the water felt icy! Later we headed to the quirky Cinema Paradiso, ( “listed a must visit” in Lonely Planet) and they were right! The cinema was so quirky, with old sofas, airoplane seats and a yellow Morris Minor that you could sit in, although it looked uncomfortable, so we opted for the comfy sofa! Managing not to fall asleep for once, (which i am well known for) we watched ‘Ingloarious Basterds’, (a Quentin Tarrentino film, a bit wierd but both loved it!) During the interval we enjoyed hot home made cookies and ice cream, an early birthday treat for Andy!!! Both really setteled into Wanaka and wanted to stay, we really enjoyed meeting people here, and sat up drinking cheep wine and beer most nights with Emma and Sean. All getting on well we decided we couldnt stay in Wanaka forever and decided to move on to Te Anu (Milford Sound) to move on together, stopping for a night in Queenstown first. Like every other jouney along the west coast of new zealand, the road to Queenstown from wanaka is beautiful. We took the high road via Cadrona, which is a bustling ski village during the kiwi winter, which has been around for years. We stopped briefly at the Cadrona hotel and would have had lunch in the old fashioned pub attached to it had the budget allowed. Instead we carried on, stopping briefly in Arrowtown, just before Queenstown. This touristy place is an old Gold mining town, full of character and cool little shops. We called in at the local chippy for lunch having battered shark and chips (‘SWEET AS!!’) Another alternative would have been Elephant fish...........I dont think Barrow chippy is ready for that one just yet!!! We checked in at Creekyside campsite in Queenstown and headed into town to check out where everything was ready for Andys 30th Birthday when we come back in a couple of weeks!! We decided not to over kill Queenstown, (bearing in mind that its still only the size of Loughborough with Paris prices!), so carried on to Milford Sound and the FiordLand national park, meeting up with Sean and Emma there after they had had there addrenalin rush on the Nevis Arc Canyon Swing!!!! Staying up late chatting in there lovely luxurious camper van we all decided to take a boat trip around the Milford Sound, heading off first thing in the morning. The drive there through the Fjordland national park was without doubt the most stunning in new zealand. It is also the most dangerous road in new zealand apparently due to all the rubber necking, but it is no surprise. We stopped to take photos at the mirrored lakes, trying to get the perfect reflection of the mountains in the clear water (cursing every duck that moved!!) We also stopped along the way in the snow where the lads insisted on climbing up on to it, not anticipating quite how icy it was going to be comming down. Andy slipped all the way down, i had visions of him crashing into a rock at the base, luckily for him he missed it JUST!! Milford Sound itself was beautiful, although we all enjoyed the drive there more than the actual boat ride! Its an on going joke with everyone you meet out here, they all say the same, that all there pictures are of waterfalls!!! Milford Sound has many impressive falls and when they pull the boat in underneath one you are invited to collect the water in a cup to drink as it is so pure. By waiting to sample the water collected by the boats crew we managed to avoid getting wet, unlike all the tourists who wanted to get the water themselves and got drenched!!!!Ha! The drive back was interesting, through a mountain tunnel which is the only way to and from Milford Sound. Here you have to wait at a set of traffic lights for 15 minutes to let the traffic from the other side pass through, although as we waited a truck got stuck inside, so we all had visions of having to sleep on the wrong side of the tunnel in the middle of nowhere, but luckily we managed to pass through eventually, so panic over! Moving on to Invercargill, we took the so called Scenic route, known by the locals as the ‘windy way’!! It is probably the least scenic route in new zealand sadly and one not to bust a gut to drive!! Trees along the coast had been permanantly forced to grow in the direction of the strong winds, and stopping off at Monkey Bay to climb the rock out at sea (which is only accessable at low tide) was challenging. Invercargill has little to boast about, other than being the birth place of Burt Munroe and the ‘worlds fastest indian’. A nice little movie with Anthony Hopkins will show you all you need to see of Invercargill!!!! On the way out, we headed to Bluff, (Invercargills port) one of the most southerly points in New Zealand, featuring the Stirling Point sign post, indicting distances to cities around the world, where Andy got him self stuck inside a big replica chain whilst being too curious! Still with Sean and Emma we voted to dirve the rest of the Scenic Route to Dunedin, in the hope of spotting some penguins along the way. No success on that front but the scenery was fantastic and we stopped at Slope Point for lunch. The four of us made our way to the spectacular spure of rock known as the most Southerly Point on the South Island, visiting it quickly and moving on when we realised that we were very much standing on the edge of a huge cliff with massive waves crashing beneith us, noticing that there were huge cracks in the ground, the next piece to fall prehaps!!!!?????? Back in the Uk the area just wouldn’t be allowed to be open, out here though health and safety dosnt exist!! Arrived in Dunedin, temperatures dropped again and all feeling the cold, we headed to a local pub to watch the All Whites qualify against Baraine for the World Cup. Although atmosphere pretty flat compared with a game back home, we all got acosted by a load of drunken old boys from a bowls team, obviously on an all dayer!! All Manchester United fans so Andy was Happy!!!!! We are now in Timaru, having done just about all we had wanted to in New Zealand. Sean and Emma have departed for Oz where we have all booked to meet up again for Christmas and New Year. Andy is trying to perfect his summersault on the bouncy cushion!!! Speak soon!!!

Colonia, Uruguay

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:14:22 GMT

Monday: Urugauy day! We had to wait for the travel agent to arrive at 10am so had a sleep in. The earliest we could go was about 2pm so we booked tickets and went off to get some cash and snacks. I got a major fright when the cash machine spat my card out but didn´t give me any money! After I got back to the hostel I was straight onto internet banking but thank god the cash hadn´t been withdrawn after all! We had to get to the ferry terminal by 1pm, we all got changed into our togs under our clothes and made the mad dash to the subte. The public transport here is so fantastic. The subways are cheap (NZ$0.30 from one side of town to the other) and the trains are constantly arriving so you hardly have to wait. The taxis are all painted the same colour so are easy to find and they are also really cheap (about NZ$6 for 20mins). At the ferry terminal we had to go through customs which meant we had to munch through all the snacks we brought! The ferry took about 1 and a half hours to reach Colonia and the whole way I was waiting for the water to change from a mud brown colour to something more swimable! It didn´t. When we got to colonia it was a scorching 30ish degrees but not humid like BA. We went to the markets for lunch and Chloe, Doreen and I wandered around the stalls. We went down to the beach but it was covered in rubbish and the water was too dirty to swim in. We spent the afternoon wandering around the historical district which was absolutely gorgous! The buildings were fantastic and the whole place was spotless. After we had been around we still had an hour to kill soi went went down to a bar by the waterfront grabbed some halados and cervacas (ice-creams and beers) and played a game of cards while the sun when down over the water. heaven! We walked back to the ferry terminal an hour before our ferry was due to leave to get through customs to realise that there was a time difference in Uruguay of an hour! Thankfully everyone was still in line to board the boat and we made it in the nick of time. After the panic the boat was delayed for half an hour anyway! We got back to the hostel late but got dressed up and went out for drinks and dinner at 1am. This turned into a drink, dinner and bed! we had good intentions though we are still waiting to make ourselves know to the SA nightlife.

Cairns, Queensland

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:15:29 GMT

Hey!! Hab meine erste Nacht in Australien gut ueberstanden! Hab gerade meine Einweisung von der feeundlichen Cindy erhalten, wegen Konto, Handy etc. Also meine Handynummer is 0406099243. Und falls ihr mir ein Paecken zu Weihnachten schicken wollt, dann bitte an 153 Forbes Street, Woolloomooloo NSW, 2011 Sydney! Ne Schmarn, aber falls was wichtiges is kann man des hier hinschicken und ich werd dann benachrichtigt. Ach ja, und ihr muesst meinen Namen und die Nummer 3835 angeben! War schon im Supermarkt und hab mir wasser gekauft! Unglaunlich spanned ;) Werd mir noch Guthaben und ein Konto holn und dann mal gucken! Bis irgendwann, bzw. bis bald, hab hier drei stunden kostenloses Interent :)

Coral Bay, Western Australia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:22:40 GMT

We got up 6am to head to an area called Monkey Mia. Here there is a beautiful beach resort at which every morning, three times a morning they feed a family of Dolphins. This is not as pleasant as i was expecting. Greatly because of the moronic general public, most of whom are foreign, do not listern to what they ar being told and push each other out the way as if they are fighting for the last space on the Titanics life rafts. So Daisy, the Irish couple and myself left the group and went and sat on the beach to the side and watched the crowds pushing each other around like crazed Seagulls on the shoreline. We went for a swim in the area just in front of us, which at that time of the morning is ice cold. Whist splashing about two Dolphins, a mother and her baby, came over to say good morning to us. Daisy saw the two of them first and turned into a babbling mess. They gently swam around us for no more than a minute. The mother rolled onto her side directly in front of Daisy and myself to have a little look at us. At this point i was struggling not to put my hands out to touch her, then they were gone. That was a much better expeience than standing in line getting trampled on by over zealous Italian teenagers. After this we had a 6 hour drive to Coral Bay. So our tour guide decided we should have a party bus which included games and copious amounts of beer. We played a game similar to the Cream Kracker Challange at home but with Weetabix. Down our line we each had to eat a dry weetabix in turn until we reached the end. As it started getting dark the road filled with suicidal Kangaroos. Every five minutes Randall would slam on the brakes or swerve. Unfortunatley one dosey Kangaroo jumped into the side of the truck. Randall and the Irish guys went back up the road to check if it was dead and discovered it was still breathing. The Kangaroo had to be put out of it's misery so Randall had to hit it in the back of the head with a crowbar. The problem was Randall in a softie, especially after meeting with Lynne the rescurer the night before, so everytime he went to hit the Kanagroo he shut his eyes and missed! Luckly this is where the irish stepped in and sorted the issue. Once back on the coach the mood was a bit somber for about 30 minutes then the beer started again. We arrived at Coral Bay about 9pm and went straight to the bar. Carried on till midnight when they threw us out and we decided to open the coach back up and have a karaoke. It was bloody cold outside and about 2am we called it quits.

Killbarri, Western Australia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:39:36 GMT

Got up very early this morning, and drove to the Z-bend gorge in Kalbarri. It was a very beautiful place and the weather was really starting to warm up. Some of the group did the absailing, Daisy & myself decided it wasn't worth the money just to jump of a tiny cliff and after watching we were glad we didin't. Walked for a good 2 hours around the gorge and our tour guide Randall showed us lots of interesting things . One of which was a gaint spider which eat's her mate (much like marriage I feel, except a slower process). Then back on the bus for some serious driving, about 4 hours to Shark Bay. We stopped a little before dusk at a place called Shell Beach. Which litterally is a beach of tiny shells. The weather was not looking too good as we got there, but Randall assured us that it only rains 3 times a year here so there would be no rain. When we got on the beach the wind was so strong we were all being blow around like disused carrier bags so we headed back to the truck, at which point a storm hit and the rain pissed down. This was the 3rd time this year. Lucky us ay! Back on the coach we carried on to a town called Denham which boasts the most westerly pub in Australia. Again we are in dorm rooms and tonight we managed to end up with the weird German lad, (who thought he was English), who apparently, according to the Irish lads who had the misfortune of staying with him the night before, screems and shouts in his sleep. Cracking! After dinner a lady from the hostel who rescues baby roos came down and gave us a talk on the work she does and brought a baby roo for us to hold. We then had a few beers and went to bed. Ze German was already in bed so we all settled down to sleep. About 2 or 3am we all suddenly shoot up from deep sleep to the sound of a blood curdling screem in German, it was like a scene from Ze Exorcist. He then just rolled over and carried on snoring.

Perth, Western Australia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:12 GMT

Today our tour to Broome begins. We had to be in the City by 6.30am to join the bus for the tour, so we thought an early night the night before would be a good idea. How wrong we were. No, not the bloody weather this time. It was the so-called Sunday Session and we had ring side seats. They say they start early and finish early on a Sunday, but what they mean is they finish early Monday morning. Our hostel bedroom was directly outside the beer garden to the loudest pub in Western Australia and we had to be the only people from our hostel not attending. So we got up at 5am after 1 hours nap and went to check out and get our deposits back. Surprisingly the office was not open as they said it would be and it was still not by the time our bus arrived to take us to the city. We left all their crap on the door step and let them steal our $60 deposit! Anyway, first day on tour and we're feeling excited and nervous. Lucky for us there was another couple on the tour about the same age travelling from Ireland, a guy from England and sisters from up North. Then there was a mix of Germans, Dutch and more Irish. Our tour started with a 2-hour drive, in which everyone on the bus slept rather than got to know one another, until we arrived at the Pinnacles. The Pinnacles is possibly the most unexciting collection of what i believe to be rocks that all look like various sized and disfigured c*** . After walking around and admiring the giant manhood's we got back on the bus and back to sleep. We drove for about an hour through so many different landscapes. It went from lush green, to tango coloured dust, to gold rock then to white sand dunes. We stopped at a beach with big sand dunes and had our first group lunch. After lunch we went sand boarding down one of the big sand dunes. Whilst there another Western Exposure group were using the dune. A group of Italian teenagers who were all disgustingly beautiful and incredibly loud. None of who could speak a word of English, making it hilarious to watch their poor tour guide. Me being the unbalanced and uncoordinated person i am decided to get straight up there, wax my board so it would go faster and start from the highest point possible. Guess what? I went so fast that not even a quater of the way down I lost my balance, fell off the board and rolled the next three quarters of the dune like tumbling clown. Daisy then decided to show me how to do it. She climbed to the top, sat on the board and off she went. It looked like she was going to show me up until, some how; she managed to get her leg stuck under the board. The board suddenly stopped and she went crashing face first into the sand in a big cloud of dust. Haha I felt a lot better! That night we stayed in a converted house in strange in-bread fishing town called Horrocks. We had all pick up a load of beers and whilst one team cooked the others drank and got to know each other which is always easier after a beer. We all stayed in dorm rooms. This is the first time I've shared a room with lots of people since i was at school. Plus I know I snore like a fog horn.

Wanaka, New Zealand

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:59:58 GMT

South Island -Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Arrived safely at Picton harbour and managed to be 2nd off the ferry despite being last on!! We also spotted some dolphins as we sailed through the beautiful Marlborough Sounds into port. After a short wander around Picton we set off for the wine region of Marlborough to taste some of the delights that the area has to offer. After 9 or so samples we decided that it was time to leave so headed for Blenheim where we bedded down with the parents of one of Stani's rugby mates from NZ, we were made to feel very welcome and were very appreciative of a proper bed. In the morning, feeling a little worse for wear we drove west towards Nelson where we stopped for a little walk around and picked up a couple of pairs of jandal socks for the chilly nights. From Nelson our journey continued west to the Abel Tasman National Park. En route we stopped off at Kaiteriteri before moving on to the park where we had planned a day of kayaking and walking. We left at 8.30 the next morning and kayaked with 6 others to various bays around the peninsular. After a spot of lunch we continued on foot around the coast where we met a water taxi at around 4.30 that whisked us back to base. A cracking day! That evening we left Abel Tasman and drove up to Waikoropupu Springs in Golden Bay where we saw what is apparently the clearest water in the world. Apparently!! We stayed the night in Richmond, there wasn't much there! On Sunday morning we awoke with arms aching from the previous days exertions. However with things to do and New Zealand to see we drove through the pain south west towards Westport. On the way we carved through the Buller Gorge and visited its swingbridge, reputedly the longest in NZ. After a soggy walk on the nerve racking bridge we ploughed on to Westport making a stop off at a Fur Seal colony on the coast. The weather was pretty average so we didn't hang around and pressed onto Punakaiki to marvel at the pancake rocks and blow holes, although the holes had lost their puff by the time we arrived! From Punakaiki we drove through the imaginatively named Greymouth that is situated at the mouth of the grey river and then onto Hokitika to find a campground for the night. On Monday morning we awoke to more rain so spent the morning surfing the internet and wandering around Hokitika. After a soup based lunch we moved south towards the glaciers of Fox and Franz Josef. We booked a hike on Franz Josef then spent the rest of the day relaxing in the alpine like surroundings. The next day we checked in for our half day hike on Franz Josef glacier, we left around 11.00 and returned about 3.30. It was a great experience and we got to go through an ice tunnel that had only been discovered that day. From Franz Josef we popped down the road to Fox glacier for a walk around before travelling down to Haast where we spent the night. On Wednesday morning we set off for Wanaka, passing through the Haast Pass. The sun was shining and the drive was spectacular, real Lord of the Rings stuff. We stopped at Thunder and Fantail waterfalls and also tried to spot some penguins but the little fellas were out fishing for the day unfortunately! We arrived at Wanaka which was stunning and found a camp ground overlooking the lake and snow capped mountains in the distance. Best Wishes,Laura and Stani xx

USA, New York

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:31:50 GMT

Arequipa, Peru

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:26:36 GMT

Arequipa I think Arequipa is my favorite city so far on my Peruvian adventure. It’s a low-key city with gorgeous colonial architecture, amazing restaurants, lots of sights to see and all without the annoying hassle of people trying to sell you stuff every time you take a step. Glorious. We really only had a couple nights in Arequipa but, since we didn’t have any classes or workshops to attend, we made the most of them. We really just took the opportunity to relax and eat foods that we would never get from our homestay families. We stayed in a cute colonial building converted into a hostel and spent our time checking out all of the restaurants available to us—my personal favorite being one called “Fez.” The most delicious lemonade and hummus I’ve ever had. Other than simply wandering the city and looking at the colonial architecture, we visited one site in particular: the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, a humongous convent. From the outside the convent looked like a huge boring grey fortress, but the inside was actually really beautiful and colorful. It almost seemed like a small city within Arequipa with its small winding pathways between all of the buildings. Not only the layout and size made it seem like its own city, but they convent was basically self-sufficient. Other than obtaining some food items, the nuns took care of everything they needed to do inside the convent walls, from worship to washing. It was really interesting to see how the nuns there lived. On the one hand it was really depressing that often times they didn’t have a choice in whether or not they wanted to enter the monastery, but on the other hand they could have their own rooms and up to two servants to do all of their work for them, of course depending on how much money they could afford to give to the monastery. Not exactly what I imagined the life of a nun to be… Not all nuns could afford this luxury, though, so the range of nun’s quarters was amazing. The smallest cells had just room enough for the bed and possibly a chair while the largest rooms were almost four times that size with personal items, other furniture and attached servants’ quarters. The convent was our lost stop in Arequipa. We had just enough time to grab lunch—and for Emily and I that meant also finding ice cream afterward—before we were supposed to get back on the bus for another long, boring roadtrip. We left the city and, as is usual for me, I fell asleep. Next stop, Colca Canyon!

Busan, South Korea

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:56:48 GMT

Tues 17th, Caught the 10am Hydrofoil from Hakata to Busan,South Korea,3 1/2 hours later we were at our next hostel,a big 4 bedroomed apartment on the 15th floor with good views of the city,owned by a lovely bloke called June who lives in the apartment with us,so much more room than the prison cell we left behind in Hakata,had a look round the town and had a nice chicken meal. Wed 18th,bought a 1 day travel card for the metro for about just over a pound(great value)went to the fishing port of Jagaichi,so much fresh smelly fish and shell food,some weired looking things,went up the Busan tower about 120 meters high with stunning views over the city,caught a small ferry from the port to Haeundae beach,bit cold today but sure its lovely in the summer,visited a nice temple called the Haedong Yonggung which overlooked the sea,back to Busan and had an unusuall but lovelly meat dinner which we cooked at our table. Thurs 19th

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:55:17 GMT

Leaving for Phnom Penh today after 1 week in Laos and 3 days in Siem Reap. Laos was a beautiful country and Luang Prabang and Vientiene were each interesting and exciting although surprisingly very different cities.I began my week in the small and charming city of Luang Prabang where the french influence could be seen almost everywhere-Fresh french baguettes, french provencial style houses and french restaurants lining the streets. The town is located on a peninsula where the Nam khan River and Mekong River meet and has three main parallel streets, the main center street turns into a great walking market for the late afternoons and evenings. This small peninsula is littered with temples and the most prominent (and my favorite) were the phousi temples, a steep climb up a mountain in the center of town but worth the workout in the sweltering heat for the best panoramic views of the city.When I arrived in town on tuesday evening I had no place to stay but with the help of my lonely planet book I managed to find a cute little guesthouse along the Nam Khan river. The ammenities were minimal but enough to get by and there were a few characters staying there as well that made for an interesting stay. I roomed next door to a crazy cigar smoking German whose hacking cough I could hear easily through the thin walls and who left a smoke filled bathroom after every use. Below me was a drunk old european man who I often heard vomiting in the early morning-not the most pleasant alarm clock. There was an unbelievably strong smell of Lao whiskey everytime I came downstairs. Considering the alternative, however, I will take a bathroom of cigar smoke over the stench of vomit and alcohol anyday. Overall, the place was fine for a few nights and was a great location -I was able to rent a bicycle, had a private little balcony and the owners were extremely friendly and accomodating. My first full day in luang prabang I started early and explored the city, the peninsula, and the temples scattered in between by bike. After a mid day nap and a quick lunch I hopped on my bike again and rode outside the city to a nearby waterfall. For some reason I though 15 km on a bike didn't seem to bad, however I forgot to factor in the heat and the hills in the Lao country side. After about 9km outside the city my legs literally could not go anymore. I made it up one last steep hill and when I looked ahead and saw another steeper one I instantly turned my bike around and headed home. Although I didnt make it to the waterfall, getting out of the tourist filled city to see the country and the local villages was worth the trip in itself. The next day I explored the Pak Ou caves about a 2 hour boat ride down the Mekong. These caves are only accessible by boat and have been made into temples filled with Lao style buddhist figures. The trip also included a stop at a local whiskey village and a look at the village's silk production. This past monday I flew from Laos to Siem Reap, Cambodia where I spent an amazing 2 ½ days exploring Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. Angor Wat was enormous and breathtaking to see and all the other temples were unique and had a special characteristic-including the jungle temple, (famous from Tomb Raider film), the elephant temple, Bayon-the temple with many faces built into the stone and Banteay Srei - a temple made of a pink stone. I took some great photos and managed to get a few cliche ones of myself but found it very difficult to get pictures without other tourist in the backgorund. The temples are packed with tourists and as a result, local cambodians force their goods on ever potential customer in signt. Everytime I leave a temple or get off my taxi, there is a young kid asking me to buy something. It is frustrating at times but this is how the locals earn money and survive. Siem Reap itself was a surprisingly modernized town complete with a pub street for the visiting tourist. My last night in town I met a german grad student working on his masters on the affects of tourism on the cambodian people. The big restaurants, bars and stores located in the center of town are actually owned by foreigners from china, korea or vietnam. It ends up being an unfortunate situation for the cambodian people as the tourists spend their money there but all that money does not go into the country but rather back to foreign owners - leaving cambodians with little income from these establshments. In fact, as I learned from this student, 3km out of town is one of the poorest areas in all of cambodia, hard to imagine when you are surrounded by big five star hotels and places like The Meriden and Sofitel I continue on to Pnom Penh next- a little scared to be traveling by myslef there but looking forward to learning more about the history of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot then finish my trip with a week at the beach before heading back to Chiang Mai.

Vientiane, Laos

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:02:09 GMT

15/11/09 Don Det to Vientiane We woke up and packed our bags for the journey to Vientiane the capital of Laos. We went off for breakfast at a resturant overlooking the Mekong but the girls were so grumpy we left and went to another with much happier staff. We ate our now staple breakfast of bread and cow cheese and a fresh pineapple juice before we collected our bags and went to the tour office. We waited there for an hour using up some free internet time we had accrued from booking tours. Then we went to catch the longtail to the other side to meet the bus to VIentiane We boarded our VIP bus with about 5 other people and then waited for ages before the bus finally pulled out along the bumpy road for the last time thankfully. We drove for abut three hours and stopped in the town of Dondet where we were to wait 6 hours before boarding the night bus for the rest of the journey. We left our bags at the bus station and got a tuk tuk to the town. Ther ereally wasn't alot to see there and we were glad we had decided not to stay there afterall. We had lunch and moochaed about for a bit. We saw some really smart buses and a lovely cruise boat along the mekong, visited a monk school thenwent back to the bus station to wait. We sat in a little cafe having drinks while Liz wrote the diary and Phil read the Lonely Planet. At 7.30 we were able to board the bus and Liz jumped on blagging some good beds well away from the back where we were always stuck before. Unfotunately, we didn't realise our tickets had seat numbers on them and guess where ours were? You got it, right up the back over the wheels again!! Phil nearly blew a gasket and was not a happy bunny as he clambered up to his spot. Things got slightly worse when the non English speaking steward kept pointing at us and gesturing us to move. We had the right seats but it seems they had allocated Lizzies twice. After a bit of shifting we were all in a bed for the night. The steward then bought round water, apples, drinks and wafer bars which softened the atmosphere. We settled to try and get a good nights sleep. We stopped in a service stop at midnight and poor Phil thought we had arrived in Vientiane only to realise he'd only been on the bus for 3 hours out of 9!!!! We tried to settle down again for the night after a quick bite of bread and cow cheese!!!

Phuket, Thailand

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:12:34 GMT

I think the last time I wrote this we were just about to head down to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party. Three buses, one boat, one van and a sleep on the floor next to the harbour and we were there. It was not the most straightforward jorney but getting chucked about from bus to bus in the middle of the night was surprisingly not too bad and we arrived in quite good spirits. The bungalows we were staying in weren't so bad either give or take the uselessness of the shower (it was actually quicker to pour water into a bottle to clean with!). But the resort was right on the beach so it wasn't all bad. The Full Moon Party took place a couple of nights later and it was a lot of fun. We bumped into Shawn who we'd met in Kanchanaburi which was quite a coincidence considering there was rumoured to be around 8000 people turning up. We spent the evening drinking from buckets (the boys had sangsom but I stuck to vodka wanting to still be alive the next day!) and wandering along the beach watching the various fire shows and things that were going on. Lawrence and Shawn both had a go a the fire skipping rope which was funny to watch, for me anyway! The hair on Lawrence's knee still hasn't grown back! We ended up staying til 8 in the mornign and the sun was up. It was quite weird how quickly it went from being night time to day and also how funny people looked still dancing away on the beach at 7am. Needless to say, the next day was a little bit of a write off with mostly just catching up on sleep and reading. The rest of Koh Phangan was a bit hit and miss with the weather but we did manage to hire a bike on a couple of days and explore the island a little bit. MY favourite part was the beach we found that was white sand and good for a swim but bizzarly completely desserted! We spent a whole day there and for most of it were literally the only two people on the beach (apart from a dog who came and got sand all over us). After this we got a boat to Koh Samui, where we stayed at Buddah Beach. Unfortunately it completely poured down the entire time we were there so we barely saw any of the island at all, never mind go to the beach. It was typically beautiful the day we left but we were on an early morning boat which was a shame.After an over night stop in Krabi (which was supposed to take 4 hours including the boat from Koh Samui but took about 10!) we were off to Koh Phi Phi. Koh Phi Phi has easily been my favourite place so far. We arrived at about 10am and after finding the cheapest hotel we could we went straight to the beach for the day. The water was beautifully clear and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, I was actually in heaven! While we were there we managed to bump into Shawn again and he managed to show us how to get drunk on the island on the cheap. We got buckets of drink for free just for being in certain bars at certain times, it was great! Plus they had all of the fire games and whatnot that they'd had at the full moon party but it was less manically busy so more fun.On one of the evenings we walked up to the view point just before sunset to have a look and it was beautiful. Definitely worth all of the stairs! While we were up there we saw lots of monkeys and some of them were indeed cheeky monkeys! We also went on a Sunset tour trip one afternoon which was a lot of fun. It took us to the island where they filmed The Beach. We went snorkelling along the way where there was apparently a shark in the water which caused my quick get away back to the boat. Although I had already seen some very pretty fish, my favourites were the bright blue ones. On the way back to Phi Phi we stopped at Monkey Beach and as we pulled up loads of monkeys appeared (surprising given the name) and we fed them pineapple and water from bottles. That was my highlight of the trip as they were so cute and so close up. They also clearly expected food by the way so many of them appeared out of nowhere when they heard the noise of the boats. It seems monkeys aren't too fond of Lawrence as both times we were up close to us he managed to annot them somehow!! It wasn't really his fault on the beach though, it seems that the monkey he offered pineapple to had had enough of it! We really liked Koh Phi Phi and didn't want to leave but dragged ourselves away and come here to Phuket. I think we've become beach snobs because neither of us are very keen on the one here! Its massive and very clean but its so full of sun loungers and parasols theres literally nowhere else to sunbathe so you have to pay to sit on the beach. Its the first time we've seen this in Thailand and have found that in spite of the people walking by constantly trying to sell dresses, watches, sunglasses and goodness knows what else we literally could be anywhere. Having said this the sea is really wavey which is quite a lot of fun and we have had two nice days at the beach even though its been kind of overcast! We were supposed to go to Koh Lanta this morning but didn't quite make it and as much as this is killing me I'm taking the blame. I managed to set the alarm clock on Lawrence's phone for the evening instead of the morning (what an idiot) so waking up at 8:10 and realising we were an hour late was not the greatest start to the day! Luckily they've just changed our ticket for tomorrow without charging us any extra. Lawrence says this makes up for us missing the flight to Paris that time; I disagree!! We're looking forward to Koh Lanta though which is where we're spending the last few days we've got left here in Thailand before our visas run out! Hope everyone's ok, I have actually sent some postcards but according to mum they haven't arrived yet. I'm not massively surprised though as I could still see them in the postbox two days after posting them!!

Lima, Peru

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:51:28 GMT

Hello. We made it! We´re in South America - arghhhh. We´re currently in Lima having arrived yesterday and so far so good. Its lovely and sunny and the area of Miraflores we are staying in is affluent, busy and colourful. We been out and about and seen the surrounding areas and the coast line and today we plan to head into lima central. We fly back out of lima to Cusco tomorrow. So some exciting news from our flight - we saw famous people. The Brazilian girls volleyball team (how do you like that Mark?) and also sharing our flight was the one and only Robson Greene - it was very exciting. What else? umm we exchanged some dollars into Sols from a man standing on a street corner with a wad of cash (as advised to by the hostel) it felt very surreal! Also randomly here in Lima there seem to be big plastic cows everywhere - all decorated and dressed up in bright colours etc but they are everywhere. Anyway that´s about it for now just wanted to let you all know we had arrived safely. We´ll be in touch again soon. Lots of love xxxxx