West Coast Road Trip

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Revised South American Itinerary!

With it being a challenge to find work in Queenstown I decided to move my south American flight from November to Feb next year. this allows me to build up more money and spend some extra time in New Zealand, making the most of my working visa :).

So, I now plan to leave Queenstown some time in Mid Jan 2010, just after my birthday... ahum. Then travel the North Island of NZ until Feb 15th , when ill now fly to Santiago! This also pushes my return date back to somewhere around the 16th May...


Third leg; Latin America

Chile, Argentina
Flight: Auckland to Santiago - 15/02/10

- 15/02/10 - Santiago
- 19/02/10 - Valparaiso / Vina del mar
- 24/02/10* - Chillan - market town
- 29/02/10* - Pucon - volcan Villarrica
- 03/03/10* - Valdivia - Turrets and forts!
- 05/03/10* - Punta Natales -National park of Torres del Paine
- 15/03/10* - Punta Arenas


Peru, Bolivia, Brazil Flight: Punta to Lima - 18/12/09

- 26/03/09 - Lima
- 27/03/09 - Pisco
- 28/03/09 - Nazca (Nazca lines, see picture below!)
- 30/03/09 - Arequipa/Chivay/ Colca Canyon
- 01/03/09 - Cuzco
- 30/04/09 - Ollantaytambo
- 01/04/09 - Inca Trail - Machu Picchu
- 04/04/10 - Cuzco
- 07/04/10 - Puno4
- 08/04/10 - Lake Titicaca
- 10/04/10 - La Paz
- 12/04/10 - Uyuni / Salar de Uyuni - Salt Planes
- 16/04/10 - Potosi - highest city of it's kind in the world.
- 18/04/10 - Sucre
- 20/04/10 - Santa Cruz / Puerto Suarez
- 22/04/10 - Corumba / Pantanal
- 24/04/10 - Bonito / Iguassu Falls
- 29/04/10 - Paraty / Ilha Grande
- 09/05/10 - Rio de Janeiro


Flight: Rio to London - 16/05/10

Life in Queenstown

A short film about the people, the places and life in Queenstown July 2009

Contains swearing and bare skin..

Traveling

"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."

Nelson Mandela

Tsunami

Deadly tsunamis strike in Pacific

40cm high by the time it hits NZ coastlines tho.... Phew!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8281616.stm


Warning canceled
i didn't have a clue, drunk ...asleep when it happened!

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2009/09/30/1245c8c00720

Slipery slope

Snowboarding Coranet Peak - Queenstown




After a few runs on the learner slope Kit was eager to push me down the big slope the M1, so we jumped on the chair lift and went for it. It loads better on the large slope cuz you don't have to keep having to head back up every 5 mins like on the learner.

I hired a new 2009 season demo board ;) It'd work out a bit pricey to keep hiring the stuff every week and paying for the bus and pass... Only had one go on the slope but definitely considering doing a season in France on the big slopes one christmas...

Another vid of me...

Rich's first big jump

Franz Joseph Glacier Hike!

Micro Light Flight Abel Tazmin

Abel Tazmin

Early to mid May the Stray bus pulled into Abel Tazmin, under the cover of darkness. That night we were crashing out in small huts on old McDonalds farm... We had two nights and two days here, so that night drinks inevitably ensued. The next day a majority of the crew off the bus went and did Sky dives ( An activity I'm saving for Lake Taupo next year) or hang gliding. Me and a few of the lads who'd already done skydives went for a walk along the amazing golden coloured sandy beaches that fringed a majority of Abel Tazmin. The water was a blue-green and the sky an intense blue!




That day I booked my chosen activity with a couple of the lads... a Microlite flight... for the next morning.

Sydney

Port Macquarie

The Tale of a Rocky Coastal Town

After spending a few more days in Byron than planned and having surf lessons i decided to carry on south down the coast to Port Macquarie. Most people go from Byron straight down to Sydney, that's a 13 hour bus ride. But i decided to check out Port Mac on the way. Ken had left Byron a few days earlier and had joined a surf camp down to Sydney, where we planned to meet back up for shits and giggles. I must return to Byron on day...

Having finished 'The Motorcycle Diaries' My next book was 'The Da Vinci Code' Which Canadian Eric from Byron had supplied me with a copy of as he'd previously promised me on the way to Surfers Paradise - Cheers Bud! The Greyhound arrived just in time for the amazing sunset which spanned the horizon. The YHA hostel here was one of the nicer i have stayed in so far, it was much smaller and more homier than previous ones.

Here there is a small space observatory, but this wasn't open either of the two evenings i spent there. I had one full day here and my coach to Sydney was to depart at 12 midnight - night bus for me. So I started my full day in Port by heading out in the searing sun to the quai side. the break wall here was made up of hundreds of boulders, each of which had been painted by locals or visitors in a unique fashion, either with names, symbols, birthday wishes or in memory of loved ones.

I decided to head for a light house that was marked on the map. The coastal walk transversed 7 beaches. I'm not totally sure on the cumulative distance but it took me 4 hours to get there from the town. Lots of bush tracks, sandy beaches and scrambling over rocks involved :) This light house wasn't as inspiring or as magical as the one at Byron Bay, but worth a look. On returning to the hostel I had my meal of noodles and got chatting to a few interesting people who were there. One guy I met from Vancouver Canada had been travelling for 7 years....! Also had some interesting in depth food conversations with a lactose intolerant lady called Heather who was working the reception there and had lived in Leicester for a while, but had just got back to Oz. Must get in contact with her!

After that it was the overnight bus to Sydney...



Port Macquarie Photo Album

Freakin Nimbin and the Magic Bus

An explosion of art, jewelry, tie die clothes and all things hippie... AWESOME!

NImbin is a inland from Byron Bay by about an hour with a population of about 500. Me and Ken had chosen a sunny Sunday to go. Our choice of transport: The grasshopper bus.

We were up with plenty of time to spare before the bus came to pic us up from the Backpackers Inn in Byron, so we hung around reading in the hammocks for a while before stuffing our bags and jumping on the bus. Plenty of good tunes were blasting out as we tore up and down the hilly 'country side' of Oz.

As soon as we got there we had a little pep talk from the driver about hippie associated bargains. As it was Sunday there was a market on, which me and Ken spent a while browsing before hitting the cafes and shops on the main street for other deals some hidden away from sight. I snapped up a Gecko pendant and an Indonesian hand crafted bone carved necklace for my bros 18th birthday. :c)

Ken and me in Nimbin!

After a few afternoon beers and snacks it all started to become a little hazy. As it was OZ a BBQ was included in the trip and a laze down by an amazing river in a valley... somewhere. Next was a rock pool for water based frolickings. We arrived home in the late afternoon and cooked pasta before hitting the sack.. the day had taken it out of us!

Nimbin Album

Awesome fun there and would recommend crashing there for a few days...

New South Wales Oz

Due South

My next destination after Surfers Paradise was Byron Bay, a place i had heard alot about. As i got onto the Greyhound bus heading south my mate Ken got off! He and Elroy were looking shady with their sunglasses(!) It was here i met a girl called Eleni that Ken had been on a boat in the Whitsundays. She was from London and we chatted all the way to Byron Bay. She also knew the three Chilian guys id met up with a few times! We arranged to meet back up once we'd settled in Byron.

My hostel was the only one conviniently placed on the Beach -' Backpackers Inn' It was a good hostel (better than the last i'd stayed in). Byron bay wasn't too big and very likable, with ample amounts of hippie shops, a laid-back feel and plenty of cool cafes, art shops and take-aways.


That night I headed out to the famous 'Cheeky Monkeys' bar/club for cheap eats and to meet back up with Eleni. I was stood in the queue for almost an hour and enevitaby got chatting to a bunch of people: a girl from Finland, a girl from OZ and two lads : one from London ( Which may as well be a country of its own!) and a lad from the USA. Once we finally got into the club and had something to eat I found Eleni and bumped into Canadian Eric who had been reading the 'Da Vinci Code' on the Greyhound a few days earlier from Brisbane. Over it was a good night! There was a body painting competition ...for the the lads and girls :cP and Eric won a free Sky Dive! It all ended a bit abrupty when Lisa (the Finnish girl) got a little too drunk as it was her 22nd birthday that week and I got chucked out of the club with her..... Oooops! (not that i was THAT drunk) Got her in a taxi and sent her home with her mate.



Byron Cape

The next day was Saturday and i used the free bike hire facility at the hostel to get up to the lighthouse near the cape. I hadnt had any breakfast, was a bit hung over from the night before and hadn't been cycling in years... It nearly killed me(!) The weather was hot and sunny and the views of the light house made a perfect picture.

Lighthouse at Byron Bay Photo album

I felt that using the clear sunny day in the classic Black and White photography worked for portraying the lighthouse well and was a good look for the lighthouse. Another thing i did, which i hadn't done in years was sit and sketch. :c)

Later that day Ken arrived form Surfers Paradise and once again ended up heading for Cheeky Monkeys. We met up with Eleni and Anna and got some discount food for dinner. We slowly watched the bar decend into a Saturday night frenzyed chaos... We left after Ken made a show of himself in a hoola-hoop competition and lost... lol

On the way back we came across a late night market w'd heard about earlier that day, with jewelry and live acoustic music. awesome!




Sydney blue mountains

Surfs Up Dude!

Surfers Paradise

On the coach to Surfers I met a Canadian guy called Eric, he'd been working in Brisbane for some time and was now heading south to Byron Bay. This was my next stop after Surfers, which to some people just seemed like a stop off on the way to Byron. I must admit there was a hype about Byron that had been building up over the past couple of weeks - most people loved it. Also most people seemed to be heading north, up the East coast, unlike me. Tho this gave me the advantage of knowing what to expect.

Surfers Paradise welcomed me with warm, sunny rays. It was a city - which surprised me at first, with high rise apartment blocks. there was a strong 'surfers vibe' here which was amplified by all the art shops, souvenir shops, surf board shops, young people and real good waves!

the first place i headed once I dumped my stuff in the somewhat dingy hostel dorm was the Hard Rock cafe! My first of Australia. I chilled out in the afternoon sun with a beer and updated my journal before hitting the beach! As the sun reclined in the afternoon sky the high rises cast long shadows across the beach, making it cooler. It felt like the tall city ruined the potential of the beach somewhat, the beach being maybe one of the most important elements of a 'Surfers Paradise'...

Money Money Money

My budgeting of late had become a little lax. checking my balances I came to the conclusion that from now on I would have to resort to basics, at least for the mean time. My diet now consists of:

-Turkey slices

-fruit

-Milk

-cereal / cereal bars

-bread

-NOODLES

...And beer

Protien, carbs and vitamins..

The Three Amigos!

That evening the three guys from Chile that I'd previously met turned up at my hostel. It was nice to see some familiar faces again! We had a catch up over dinner before deceiding to go for a drinks in town. We got a $10 deal at the hostel - two drinks at the hostel, entry to a club and a free drink at the club. BARGIN! The guys from Chile also had a spirits stash of their own, which they shared with me! This made for a fun drunked night in town. Even tho the club wasn't to my taste, it could have been worse. 

Once we got back to the hostel we had trouble getting back into our dorm. Turns out two German guys had got very drunk and decided to baracade themselves in the room... Over the course of the night these guys proved to be pricks. One of them pissed the bed during the night... The other got noisily up at 5am and decided to start searching through my stuff at the side of my bed. This was too far. On quizing him he claimed he'd lost his car keys. I managed to find the car keys under the bed and considered flushing them down the toilet - after all the hastle they'd given us. But decided I was better than that and they were soon gone. Generally I like Germans, but not these two.

Surfers Paradise album

Brisbane

Brisbane

The bus journey to Brisbane from Noosa was through Easter traffic, this i didn't mind, it was the rain and the fact that i was on a leaky bus - that I did mind. It was the most rain I've seen in Australia so far and most of it seemed to find the hole above my seat(!) I chatted to a lady from Sweden who was studying in Brisbane at the local university. She comforted my research skills by advising me on all the top things to do and see whilst i was there - which i kind of already knew, but I didn't want to be rude...

By the time we arrived at the Brisbane coach terminal we were 2 hours late and I was starving! So I found time for a greasy KFC. The hostel 'Brisbane backpackers Inn' was a large complex which was 30 minutes walk from the city centre. The last city I'd been in was Cairns.


Deadly Combo!

The next day I got up early and headed to town, armed with my camera and creative eye - A somewhat deadly combination ;c) First call of the day was breakfast before I met with Hanna, a German girl I'd met in Noosa. We went to see the botanical gardens, which had plenty to photograph. There was also an old tree here: one which had previously thought to be extinct from the prehistoric era..

Next we hit the shops and I got some new flip-flops... left the old ones in the previous hostel .. Oops. Hanna had to leave for her bus down to Byron Bay so i headed for the art galleries. The first was 'Queensland Art Gallery, gallery of modern art'. This was by far the largest gallery I'll visit. There was a range of artwork from Thai ancient pottery to modern paintings and contemporary sculptures. One sculpture was by an associate of Henry Moore - A sculptist I studied in GCSE art. By far my favourite works were paintings by Vida Lahey.

The second gallery I visited was the museum of Brisbane in the city hall. This display was much smaller and split into two parts. the display was called 'Temperature 2' - ' "Taking the temperature describes the practice of monitoring an interpreting to better understand the condition of something". - In this case the current work from Queensland's most outstanding artists.' There were a few interesting and inspiring pieces in here. On the way back home I passed some awesome graffiti work and watched as the sun set behind me over the city's highrise skyline.

That evening on my return to the hostel and gave Ken a ring to see if he was in town yet. Turns out he was playing pool behind the payphone in my hostel that I was calling him from! He introduced me to a guy called Elroy. After a few drinks at the bar we headed to the 'Up and Down Under' bar in town and all got very merry and drunk being sure to make an exhibition of our selves on the dance floor in the process!

The next day it was once again time to pack up and hit the road.

Brisbane Photo Album

From the Devil's Kitchen to Hell's Gate...

Noosa Head

Noosa was a surfers town, a few hours south of Rainbow beach. I traveled in the wake of the adventure on Fraser island under a quilt of cloud. Me, Rich and Amily were on the same Greyhounds bus. Slowly patches of blue sky broke through the clouds.

We arrived in Noosa with a whole afternoon at our disposal. So once me and Rich had checked into the 'Dolphins Beach house' hostel we went for a walk along the 'Golden Coast' - Sunshine Beach. This lead us to the edge of Noosa National Park. We walked around the coast part of the national park along 'Route 4'. It was a relatively easy walk with a few inclines and some great views. Devil's Kitchen was a large area with a huge cliff, on which we stood looking down as the furious ocean battered the rocks below. A rocky out crop made it possible to get a few pictures of each of us stood at the top of the cliff edge - (seems to becoming somewhat of a past-time...)

Next we made our way further up the coast to Alexandria Bay. Here was a nudest beach. Here someone had comically written 'PUT SOME CLOTHES ON' in the sand. Rich found this hilarious and we decided to spend a few minutes etching the message deeper into the sand.. Haha

We proceeded onto 'Hell's Point' - another cliff, before turning back and returning to the hostel for dinner. We met up with a friend of Richard's - also from Holland: Flo. She'd also just come from doing Fraser Island.

That evening I used the 'the rare to come by in hostels' oven to do a Mediterranean style roast chicken and vegetables dinner.. with mash(!) Mmm! After we went to the 'bottle shop' and grabbed a pack of my fave beer: Corona to celebrate the Easter weekend. Tho the Easter eggs from the convenience store we not very conveniently priced...

Rhain and the Waves do Fraser Island!

Fraser Island is the Largest sand island in the world... Actually with the amount of sand we ate and brought back to the mainland I'm not sure if that's still true...(!)

There was 11 of us in the group in total for our Frasier Island jaunt. Me and Ken had banded together with a french girl - Olympa and one of my room mates; Simon (who was also from the East Midlands - Mansfield) and signed up together for the adventure. Then we also had Caroline, from Switzerland, Sarah and Rhian from Swansea, Rich from Holland and then three girls from Germany: . The day before we left we were subjected to a short video about Fraser Island and National Parks. The funniest thing covered was how to defend yourself from Dingos - the potentially dangerous native wild dogs that inhabited the island. Basically the video instructed you to cover your nipples and step backwards..?!

The real fears once we got on the island were more like: tipping the top heavy 4x4, having a puncture on the beach, getting caught on the beach at high tide or getting the truck hopelessly stuck in the sand... read on to find out how close we came to some of these and how many of these actually happened!

View Fraser Island in a larger map

Dingo!

We set off from the hostel at about 10 the next day once we'd loaded the 4x4 full of equipment, food and alcohol. It was about a 30 minute drive from our hostel to the barge on the beach which took us over to the Island. We lead the convoy of 6 white trucks onto the island before we all dispersed. Because of a high tide we used back tracks to get to Eurong - A small collection of shops with a car park and toilets. Simon was quite a confident and experienced driver, having driven mini buses for universities. Just before reaching Eurong Simon swapped with Rhain. She was a competent driver, but as we rolled over the soft sand we became bogged down!! We worked the van out of the sand as a team and were over the cattle grid into the Eurong car park. Next we hit the sandy island tracks again and headed for lake Mackenzie.




Having opened our first beers of the trip we got to Mackenzie island we parked up and made our lunch. Here we sighted out first Dingo! they're more like scavenging dogs than wild wolves and can be quite easily scared off.

The sky was cloudy but the lakes water was crystal clear! We played Frisbee and swam about in the cool refreshing water for a while. the photos don't seem to capture the purity of the water! It was a bumpy ride back towards the beach, but some how Rich from Holland managed to doze off next to me in the front seats...!


Cooking Up A Storm

We once again made a stop at Eurong to top up the cooler boxes with ice to keep the beers at a nice temperature before hitting the beach headed north for our chosen camp zone behind the sand dune. We had to get there before the tide started coming in at 5pm. The whole convoy had chosen the same camp zone and over the course of the afternoon we all parked up, forming a wind shield with the trucks around our cooking and seating area. Still the wind was persistent and the sand found its way into places we didn't know existed! Grrr.

The girls set up the tents (to my surprise!) as the lads unloaded the trucks roof and set up a table and windshield so that dinner could be cooked - before it got dark. I naturally took charge of dinner, flexing my cheffing skills! It was beef steaks with green salad and potato salad... with a light sprinkling of sand... the water took forever to boil for the potatoes and once the water did start boiling, Simon decided to drop the lamp in there...Ooops.

Lots of beers were drunk before me and ken decided to start on our stash of rum and coke! u can't be stranded on the worlds largest sand island without a bottle of rum! Arrrrrrrrr! I was a little late on the social scene, what with all the cooking but soon got into the swing of it. With it getting dark early and there being little to do but drink and dance to the car stereo music most people (well the younger ones...) flaked out before 11! Pha! With all 6 trucks there was about 70 of us partying. Me, Caroline, Rich (who had a nap earlier) and an interloper - Yvona from another camp kept going until about 1 before being the last to give in to the call of our sleeping bags.


It's A New Dawn... It's A New Day...

First job of the new day was to wash the pots from the night before so we could have our breakfast of bread and scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onion. rich Sarah and Rhian sorted the pots, tho they did get a bit wet. Namely Rich, who had his phone in the pocket of his shorts.. Woops. Lazily i cooked up breakfast before we hit the dusty track again!

Rich did the driving for the morning, we headed into 'Happy Valley' via the back tracks of the island. this was because the tide was still pretty high and we didn't want to chance the rocky area of the beach at this time. We had to pull over on some pretty steep banks at time to let other trucks by. Rich got good at this, I was amazed the 4x4 didn't tip over as we parked at some uncomfortably peculiar angles...

the first stop of the day was Eli Creek for more messing around in cool fresh clear waters. the creek was laden with tropical trees on both sides which Eels swam around the roots of as we waded down down stream with the current towards the sea. Some of us got wetter than others on the way, ehum.

We dried off and piled back into the 4x4, next was the Mahend ship wreck further up the beach. the ship wreck was pretty sweet, but we didn't stay long as it started raining. We drove further north, out running the raincloud stopping once we came to the 'Red Cliffs' .. which were exactly that. They had a canyon feel to them and were smooth from all of the sand erosion. It was beef and salad wraps for lunch.



Indian Head





Sarah took over the driving and we headed to the most northern part of the beach - about 45 minutes away. Here was a place called Indian Head. A 30 minute scramble (In flip flops - which I have come to hate) got us to the top of the amazing look out point. We could see right down the beach which we'd been driving up for the past few hours and down Waddy point to Sandy Cape. I loved watching as the waves slowly rose out of the ocean and started their run towards the cliff bases. The water looked an amazing vibrant blue as it restlessly attacked the base of the cliffs. Me and Ken individually went out onto the most dangerous part of the petruding narrow cliff where the drops were vertical at either side of your feet. Once again the wind was my enemy as it pushed against me with varying degrees of determination! For the few moments I stood tall and expressed myself I felt victorious! This was by far my favorite spot on the island.



Once we had got back down the steep hill we sped away in our truck back down the beach towards camp. This was by far the most painful ride down the beach as Sarah sped through some washouts that were deeper than we thought. Ouch!
Simon took the wheel for the second half of the drive home as we approached the rocks we had earlier avoided by going through 'Happy Valley'. I was certain we were going to tip over as the truck bounced vigorously from a steep left to right over and down the rocks. We were thrown around in the back of the truck like balls in a lottery machine... Simon stopped at one point in disbelief we were still upright. as we braced ourselves for the second area of rocks it turned out the first was by far the worst.


Moon Party!

We were back at camp by 4ish and quickly set about parking the truck and setting up the kitchen. By 4:30 the sun had began to set the and moon had already revealed itself in the sky. It was a full moon. This called for a party... A full moon party! I got a good number of photos and drank a good number of beers before the sun had set. The girls did a majority of the cooking that night... by 6 the moon was high and bright and the party was going. That evening we concocted numerous drinking games between us. The most entertaining of which was other people trying to guess your animal impressions. Me and Ken finished off our bottle of Gougers rum with coke in record time.


Bad Times!

On the third and final day we packed out our trash and headed for Lake Wabby and the famous sand dunes which surrounded it. First we went to get rid of our rubbish. As Simon returned from the waste bin sight he noticed that the back left tyre was looking a littlw low on pressure and flatter than the others.... We decided to change it... Rhian drove cautiously the rest of the way to Eurong where Ken had to unpack the entire roof to get at the spare tyre. Simon, me and Ken with a little help from Olympa proceeded to change the tyre in record time. the new tyre looked a lot better and we continued to lake Wabby. As we were on the way a wave slowly washed up the beach, closer than any had come before. Low tide wasn't until 2 and it was still 9 in the morning at this point. Rhian sped up and we got past it. But another wave washed up the beach just ahead us, this time even faster than the first! Rhian put her foot down and closed her eyes! Ken struggled to try and wind up the wide open window next to him on the passenger side. The salty sea water rose like a wall in front of us as the truck hit it at over 70kmh!

We were drenched..

I say we... it was mostly Ken. I just laughed as water trickled off the brim of his hat.

It was a good 40 minute walk to Lake Wabby, which was no disappointment. It was a vibrant green, invitingly warm and had a slight mosey smell to it. beside the lake was the massive sand dunes, which seemed to stretch for miles. We took plenty of photos. It was peanut butter and jam sandwiches for lunch.. You gotta try it! This was our last stop on the island and we had to leave to get to the barge by 1.

This time Ken decided to sit in the back of the truck... and Simon sat in the front passenger seat. But Rhian sped through another washout with the trucks windows open, Simon ducked as he struggled to do up the window. Once again water splashed up the side of the truck in through the windows... the water went over Simon, who was lent down and got Ken AGAIN who was sat behind us... Soo funny. he just replied with a sting of curses.

Ken, Water, Simon

Our truck was the last onto the barge, we hadn't even put the breaks on before the barge pulled away. That night we finished or remaining beers in a beach hut playing drinking games on Rainbow Beach and said our goodbyes!

We decided to call our group Rhian and the waves.....


Links to Photo albums!

Facebook Fraser Island Album 1

Facebook Fraser Island Album 2

Facebook Fraser Island Album 3

Following the Path

"In every journey, the traveler must ask, was the right path taken? Many roads are long and winding. Filled with those who have lost their way. Some forge their own course, guided by faith, seeking not a location, but a kindred soul. Others step together, finding safety in the arms of another. A few remove themselves from the trail to avoid the path of temptation. But those who watch the track too closely fail to see where it led them. And they're often all too surprised by their destination." - Heroes quote

Just Tick The Box That Says "I've Left My Licence at Home"...

That's how the perilous undertaking around the town of 1770 was instigated... Trule from Denmark had mentioned the Scotter Roo chopper ride when I was in Mission Beach a week earlier...

I left Airlie beach on the Grey hound at midnight and got little sleep on the over night bus to 1770. I would definitely visit Airlie beach again, if only for another tall ship adventure. Ken turned up just in time for the coach after having a tipple... or two.


1770

The backpackers hostel here was pretty sweet. Had a laundry session :cS and headed out around the shops to find some food. Found a lovely bakery nestled in a corner and decided to get some 'pizza' looking lunch... Me and Ken eyed up the cakes but decided to save the pennies and just get the pizza... Insisting that half a pizza each wouldn't fill two adventurous backpackers the bakery lady shoved the cakes we'd been looking at into our hands and charged us for just the pizza...! Guess I've got a little too good at looking like a bum... time for a shave!?


Scooter Roo

AT 2:30 we were picked up from the hostel and taken to the Scooter Roo shed in Agnes Water, up the road. There was about 50 of us in total, all crowded around the shed. You didn't need to show any for of licence - just sign on the dotted line. The bikes were scooters done up as Harley Davidsons. I picked matching bike and helmets - Black with firey red/orange paint work. We had a quick lesson on how to ride a bike and then was let loose on the roads!

The ride lasted about 3 hours around the quiet local roads, through the scenic roads of Agnes Water and along the foreshore of 1770 - where captain Cook had first sighted Australia. I may have broke the speed limit a few times as the needle on the speed dial was trying its best to push past the 80 kmh mark... Excellent fun. I lead the 50+ pack of riders for a good 20 minutes up and down the hilly roads of Agnes Water. Stopped off and saw a few Kanger Roos on a grassy park and had snacks as the sun set at a beach near 1770.

Scooter Roo Photo Album


Fit For A King

Once me and Ken got back to the hostel we started to prep our dinner. It was sunday and time for a nosh-up! Grilled Beef Steak and plenty of veg was had. A meal fit for kings, kings of the road!

The next day I headed for Hervey bay for a rainy day in. Took a few panoramics along the beach and of the pier. Definitely starting to get into cooler weather now as I head south. Will be winter when I fly to NZ. Time to get out the rain mac (cheers for that dad!).

Like A Rolling Stone...

Australia's Updated Itinerary!

Flight: Singapore to Cairns - 23/03/09

- 23/03/09 - Cairns

- 27/03/09 - Mission Beach

- 29/03/09 - Townsville - Magnetic Island

- 31/03/09 - Airlie Beach- Whitsunday Island
Three day sailing cruise

- 05/04/09 - 1770
- Scooter Roo!

- 06/04/09 - Hervey Bay

- 07/04/09 - Rainbow Beach - - Fraser Island

- 11/04/09 - Nossa
- Lakes
- Devils gates and Hells kitchen

- 13/04/09 - Brisbane
- Visit art gallery

- 15/04/09 - Surfers Paradise

- 17/04/09 - Byron Bay
- Trip to Nimbin - hippy town

- 22/04/09 - Coff Harbor*

- 24/04/09 - Port Macquire* - observatory

- 26/04/09 - Sydney
- Blue Mountains
- Manly

New Zealand Flight: Sydney to Christchurch - 03/05/09

- 03/05/09 - Christchurch
- 03/06/09* - Auckland

Maritime Adventure!

This trip was amazing. The weather was hot, sky was clear, the waters calm and pure, the tall ship and company unbeatable...



The Solway Lass and the Whitsundays Islands

The ship named in Scotland, was built in 1902 and has endured a rough history and being sunk and raised - twice, being used, lost and won back in both world wars and being sailed in oceans all over the world. In 1984 she was sailed to Sydney and rebuilt over the course of 2 years. it was eventually in 1999 she became an overnight charter ship in the Whitsundays area.




On board the Solway Lass... ARRRRR!


Most of the day was spent in a park waiting for the time to come to board the ship. here i got some pictures of cockerteals and met Solomano from Switzerland. Our standard issue green eco bags for our luggage made us stand out in the park.


Map



View Larger Map




Where Does the Ocean Go?

It was dark when we all boarded the ship with our army of green bags. We quickly set sail. - I say 'set sail' but we didn't actually get a chance to raise the sails until the last day due to the weather being so awesome and hot and calm over the three days!

That night we had pumpkin soup as a supper and watched as the Milky Way asserted itself in the night sky. Never seen it so clearly. We sailed for 3 hours before reaching White haven beach on Whitsunday Island. We arrived at 11:30ish pm. But of course we couldn't see it!

The bunks were surprisingly comfortable and the gentle swaying of the ship lulled me into a deep sleep for a good solid 8 hours.


White Haven Beach

The view from on the deck once we awoke was unbelievable. We all grabbed our snorkeling gear, frizbees and headed to the pristine white beach. - Picture perfect... The white Silica sand was fine quarts that had been spewed out of a fisher in the Earths crust near Whitsunday Island. Polished my Silver St. Christopher with the sand. The snorkeling was excellent. Third time lucky. Previous snorkeling experiences hadn't been too enjoyable. A tornado that had been along Australia's east coast several weeks ago had made the visibility in the water crap for the past few excursions the Solway had done, but we were in luck. The water had settled and I saw a new fish and coral every other minute.

Click here for Types of Coral

Click here for Animals of Great Barrier Reef


The beach was 7.5 km long. Me and Kelsey went for a quick walk to see if we could spot any familiar faces from the parties that were starting to land on the beach from other ships... the beach was more than big enough for us all. Kelsey was the first American I've properly met on my travels. She studied Marine Biology and had previously worked in Florida. But was from DC. A place I must visit and a face I must see again. :c)




We fitted in playing with our cameras and then a tug of war (Dudes vs. Dolls... We were grossly out numbered) before returning to The Solway for a fresh salad lunch and laughs provided by the very entertaining rope swing. I took this opportunity to jump into the hammock-like net on the front of the ship. This was with no doubt my favorite spot to mooch.



Shine on you crazy Diamond!

After lunch we set sail for Hayman Island - The most northern islands of the whitsundays islands. As we aproached the island i jumped at the oportunity to stear the ship for a good half an hour. loved it! Captain Tim took the welcome break to blast out some Pink Floyd music. As we approached the tip of the island a pod of whales passed the ship.


We dropped anchor in Blue Pearl Bay for the evening and once again the rope swing provieded entertainment for all ages! Me and Kelsey sat in silence as the vibrant colours of the sunset filled the evening sky. With no land and few clouds this was by far the most amazing sunset I have ever seen... beyond words....








later that evening we were visited by two dolphins which playfully swam around the ship as the evening grew darker.


Out of the Dark and Into the Light when the Morning Comes


Once again we awoke to the amazing clear turquize waters which surrounded us and an island with pure sandy beaches in the distance. Todays excursion was to a coral beach for snorkeling ona 'fringe reef coral'. Once again this was excellent. Here some people went diving too, but i've got to keep an eye on that budget!



After we'd all returned to the ship the crew moved the ship 30 minutes around the island to 'Black Island' which had a beach we once again littered with our green eco-bags. from here once again we watched as the sun set behind our favorite tall ship of unparalled adventure. We returned to the ship for our last evening.. :c(

Melting Moon

It was a feast of roast beef and veg for dinner. The chef (Maxie) had prepared us some top quality meals and snacks throughout the journey. It was also her last voyage... so theres a chef job going.. This got my mind racing. Once dinner was devoured it was once again back into the net at the front of the ship to watch as the stars put on their show. We waited as the moon slowly slid down towards the watery horizon. As it did so it became an intense orange colour. It looked as if the moon was melting as it apeared to come into contact with the ocean. Twilighty! This was an awesome evening of good champagne, good company, acoustic music and twilighty tricks.

Sandy Spit

The last day we spent on a sandy spit which stretched from an island. We did more snorkeling here, for the last time. This was the clearest snorkel yet. We were on the look out for turtles, but none were spotted.

We returned to the Solway for the last time and I finally got my turn on the rope swing. Good fun! We raised the sails and set course back to Abel point marina on Airlie beach.



Rope swing... My one-handed attempt was better.

Saying goodbye to people you quickly grow close to and get to know when travelling seems harder and sadder in someways than most goodbyes because of the likely outcome that you'll never see them again.. I know i will almost definately get to see my family and friends at home again.

Bless Facebook eh?!?!??! :c)



Links to photo albums below. click on photo to go to next


Solway Lass Photo album 1


Solway Las Photo album 2

If you ever get the chance to do this trip... Do it!

On an Island in the Sun...

A days worth of travelling got me to Townsville on Saturday afternoon. I ferry ride got me to Magnetic island in 20 minutes. On arriving on Magnetic Island I met the two guys in my dorm: Gregg from France and Dan from Sommerset! the Magners hostal here wasn't great and the 'Base' hostal on the other side of the island sounded like much better. Many people had been dissapointed by Magnetic island, but i think this is because they were just looking for a party... But me and the dorm lads all had an interest in hiking and getting out into the world, which this island proved to be good for! That evening we got hold of a map and planned the route for our lads adventure!




I was up by about 7 and slept well - being exhausted from the previous days travelling. I went for a quick walk around the bay infront of us: 'Geoffrey Bay' :cD Saw some wild Wallabies and got back to the hostal for the days main hike.







Dan was a young chatty sort of lad who had been in the aircadets. he'd been planning to go for a hike for the past few days and had a good few eeks on the island. Gregg turned out to be a laugh, blowing away all my misconseptions of the French! haha. He'd been working in Oz for a good year.



First was Aurthur Bay, which we walked to in an hour, tjo we easily spent two hours here, trying to get around the coast by climbing over rocks.... Didn't work too well and we didn't get too far either so turned back and got on our original sandy path. We'd started climbing around the rocks in search of a ship wreck which was no where to be seen! By the time we got to Florence bay (Bay 2 of 5) it had gone lunch time, so we pushed on to 'Radical' bay and Past 'Balding Bay' to get to horse shoe bay!. Hungry thirsty and hot we stopped here for a break and got some stuff for dinner. By far Arthur bay was the best as it was ahrder to get to - through a stream and wasn't littered with sunbathers!



Next was the 'Fort walk'. This started off a little lame... a few concerete slabs left from forts built in world war 2, but as we progressed along the route some of the out crops, look outs and buildings were impressive.. roffs and all! The final intact fort, high up a hill we crashed out on the roof of as the sun set and the cast shadow engulfed the whole island. From here we could see almost all the island. Only the west point was secluded by 'Mount Cook'. On the way back down the track we saw our first wild Koala and baby in the tree. Getting back to the hostal wasa risky roadside walk in the dark... Dinner was cooked and beer drank!

Click below for photo album! ARRRRRR!




http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=236563&id=577885146&l=52c79cab4c

Touchdown

Slap the Goon

I arrived in Cairns at 8ish in the morning, local time gleary eyed and suffereing from sleep deprevation. Took a while to get through customs, bit strick here in Oz... do i have any pebbles, bits of wood or small creatures in my bag....

Once I got to the Nomad hostal i dumped my bag in the storage room and began my 3 hour check until i could check into my dorm. The time of comfy hotel rooms was over. Seated on the decking, clutching at leafletts i desperately tried to beat the jet lag and stay awake. I finally checked in at 1!

That evening I met my bunk mate a cocky Londoner ;) We quickly got chatting with people at dinner and later hit the 'Goon' - A cheap, fowl local drink made from grapes that is only sold after 4pm. The dorm room slowly filled with people and we headed to town for a night of dancing on tables at the Wool Shed!

The sun rose to find me trying to make sense of all the leafletts i'd grabbed the day earlier. By word of advice from James - the cocky Londoner - I headed to Peter Pans to book some, transport, accomidation and adventures down the east coast. eagar to emurse myslef in the local culture i had a good mosey around the local hippie and surf shops before stumbling into a local gallary, where i lost myself for a good few hours in stories of life , death and beauty.

Anyone seen Watchmen? Loved it, even if it was a bit lengthy...

Deep Blue Something

The sea was rough on the way to Saxon reef, off of Cape Tribulation - North of Cairns and many passengers had to go on onto the top deck... I attempted the snorkeling again, but the ocean was rougher than when i had previously attempted snorkeling at the Phi Phi islands in south Thailand. Loosing patience and getting frustraited with the choppy water, which seemed insistant on filling my snokel I returned to the ship feeling defeated!

The scuba diving went loads better and was one of the most amazing experiences. I was "A natural". My partner was a guy called Ted from Poland. I followed the instuctors actions with deadly precision as i decended and lernt to entrust my life to my newly acquired skills and a tank of oxygen strapped to my back. The colours of the creatures and plants are so amazing and vivid that I had to remind myself to control my breathing more than once!

Thursdays Adventure was less physically demanding, but just as exhilarating! A 9am pick up took me to the base of mount Kuranda, near Cairns where i boarded my cable car which quickly ascended above the canopy of the sumptuous rain forest. It went over Barron falls waterfall, via a few stops where you get guided walks of the rain forest. At the top of the mountain at Kuranda village I get me an Ozzy burger and visited the Koala enclosure to see some local wildlife!

The traditional scenic railway took me back to Cairns in time for dinner by way of plenty of sugar cain fields and once again Barron Falls.

Friday I left Cairns bound for Mission Beach. Not much happens here! But I did get the chance to cook for the first time in well over a month with a few lads: Ken and Trule. Chicken stir fry was loved by all. After we hit the bar for the greatly anticipated happy hour.

Next was Magnetic Island. The place's name alone seemed to promise adventure!

Coasting in the Land Down Under

He Said I Come From the Land Down Under!

So Ive just booked an awesome trip down the East coast of Oz froom Cairns to Sydney with sailing, sight seeing, jungle cable caring, camping hiking diving and par-taying with a travel agents called Peter Pan! Woop woop! (If you're not jelious yet keep reading :cP)

Not as hot here as SE Asia. OZ is just coming out of its wet season, so all the jungles are a lush green and the weather is still 30 celcius ++

Cairns isn't great, just a city really! Night life is good tho and its a little cheaper here than cities further south.



Australia's Booked Itinerary!

Flight: Singapore to Cairns - 23/03/09

- 23/03/09 - Cairns

- 27/03/09 - Mission Beach

- 29/03/09 - Townsville

- 31/03/09 - Mackay - Whitsunday Island
Three day sailing cruise

- 02/04/09 - Rockhampton

- 05/04/09 - 1770

- 07/04/09 - Bundaberg - Fraser Island


- 11/04/09 - Rainbow Beach

- 13/04/09 - Nossa

- 15/04/09 - Brisbane

- 19/04/09 - Surfers Paradise

- 21/04/09 - Byron Bay

- 29/04/09 - Newcastle

- 25/04/09 - Sydney
Blue Mountains

New Zealand Flight: Sydney to Christchurch - 03/05/09

- 03/05/09 - Christchurch
- 03/06/09* - Auckland

Thanks to Martin, Leigh and all you who've helped me refine what top do in Oz!

Singapore Sling

Sweet Sorrow

On day 22 of the Intrepid trip - Thursday the 19th of March we arrived in Singapore, our final destination together :c( Singapore is a huge garden of a city. No chewing gum was allowed to be brought into the country. Very clean and stylish place.

Goodbyes were said to our ace Malaysian tour guide Mira and we arranged to meet as a group and go to the Singapore night safari zoo! But beer o'clock was first!

Most of the day was actually spent in a shopping mall sorting out and burning off all the photos from Dan's, Lisa's and my cameras (!) Had to resort to a burger king for food, but still i've not succumb to the evil of McDonald's, even after sitting in them more than once over the past few weeks - 4 years and counting on that!

The night safari was cool, loved the largest rodents - looked like huge hamsters! craaaaaazy.

http://people.uleth.ca/~holzmann/peru/2550_Charlie_the_capybara.jpg

We hit Chinatown heritage restaurant for food and drinks at about 10. Really nice part of Singapore this.

Friday we visited Sentosa island next to the main island. Was only S $3 to get there on the monorail. Was more like a theme park than anything and didn't seem that great until we found a 'Cafe Del Mar' Loved it. A Singapore sling cocktail was quickly ordered and a bed on the beach seccured.


Clark Quai

That night we all met up again and headed to Clark Quai, a waterfront area for some expencive bars!. The clinic was worth every penny! A bar with a hospital theme - Hospital beds, wheel chairs, cocktails in drips along with operating tables and lamps - Brilliant! An ace venue for one last group drinking sessions! Hugs all round and our two favourite canadian girls dissapeared into the crowd :c(

Made me realise the trip had actually ended.

Met with a few of Dan's mates from Sweden for another pint in a bar with a live band playing 'Bistro Live' type of music - Singapore style, before I ran for the tube.




The next morning I got chatting with a cool Beef farmer type dude from Sommerset in my hostal - Mike. We went and met the rest of the remaining members of my group and hit Orchard road for some highsteet browsing and Singapores largest book shop. We headed towards the Hard Rock Cafe at the end of the road. Thats Three I've done now in three different countries on this trip. Rawk! Orchard road was followed by the world famous Raffle's Hotel, photos and drinks! me and Mike had one last drink with Dan and Lisa in a german bar before they too dissapered into the crowd to find a taxi.

Me and Mike sort shelter for a few hours in an internet cafe as a huge tropical style storm made itself at home above the city! With three words via email from one of MIkes mates we were re-inspired and headed to the New Asia Bar - 70 floors up in the sky. This was maybe the most amazing sunset i have seen in the 24 years of my life...The sun went down as we supped beer (Well Mike had a half yard of Tiger beer so he glugged a bit too) and the all the nocternal lights of the sprawling city slowly came to life.... Not bad for my last night in Singapore i'd say!

http://www.swissotel.com/EN/Destinations/Singapore/Swissotel+The+Stamford/HOTEL+HOME/Gallery/Dining/New+Asia+Bar.htm

Sunday morning me, cool Max and Mike eventually found an Irish bar on Penang road and had the first roast dinner we'd had in over a month!!! Beef AND chicken for me!! (still not quite as good as mums tho:cP ) We had a roast, pool, football on tv.... If it was raining outside i would have sworn i was home.

I proceeded to the airport after and got my plane to the next leg of my adventure: Oz. Phoned home and had a good catchup chat with mum before getting on my 8 hour flight. Some how for that short 15 minutes 10900 Km didn't seem as far away.

Kimonos and Pool Parties

Port Dickson

Not a great deal to do in Port Dickson and even less to drink!! Drier than your dads jokes! The hotel told us they didn't sell any alcoholic beverages, but we bought our own the day before on advice from our knowledgeable tour leader Mira! SO drinking games, ceremonial beard shaving, kimono parties and midnight pool parties ensued! Woop woop. I didn't see any 'pool closed' sign, did you Dan? Took a few late night photos came out pretty good again, check em:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29685328@N05/3371673475/in/set-72157615621889772/


Melaka

Melaka was a little more enjoyable, with a bit of history and shopping malls for the girlies. This used to be the capital of Malaysia, which has had its fair share of invasions from the Dutch, Portuguese, British and Japanese (WWII). A few forts, ruins and cathedrals tell these tales of occupying forces and periods in history. It was only in the 1950's that the Malay President declared Independence from the commonwealth.

Me and the lads took a tour of the city in the local noval form of transport: Trishaw. Maybe the least manly form of transport known to the human race. Google it. Tho the ones with neon lights pumping out DnB music are even more of a sight!

Tour included a slanted cathedral and one final temple! A multi-faith Chinese temple that welcomes all. I liked this temple with more of an authentic feel. Unlike most of the others this one wasn't as touristy and wasn't reminiscent of an old woman who'd slapped on too much make-up in a vein effort to hide her age!

Slept in the most uncomfortable accommodation yet, just a fan for company - no AC here. 6am start for Singapore.

Dance With the Thunder and Lightening

"Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!" - Count monte cristo.

Photo taken at Khao Sok National Park resort - Misty Mountain. the night we had a storm and then a power cut.

If You Catch Me at the Boarder I've Got Visas In My Name!

The trip and the dream seems to be sailing by at an alarming rate, moments and places come and disappear over the horizon before i can even blog them! (sorry peeps!) :c) Already A month has almost gone.


Taste of Paradise - Krabi

After Khao Sok National Park our Intrepid group was bundled into an air conditioned (AC) mini bus and taken to a place with the purest of blue skies (mostly), the clearest of turquoise waters (mostly) and whitest of sandy beaches...... (mostly). One thing is clearer than all those tho, and that is that the tourist industry is booming here, even out of high season. Three nights were spent in Krabi, and i could have spent a life time here - This was the place that put Thailand on the map. They love the Jack Johnson here. Actually Metallica seems to be a regular name on T-shirts too!

A daylong speed boat trip around the Phi Phi islands, snorkeling, food market and a kayaking activity made us feel like we had a good sample of what this area had to offer. Along with a decent night out for dinner and heavy drinking session... (which unavoidably ended with the legendary bucket of a spirit and mixer). We all manged to drag each other back to "Ben's House" (the hotel) safely. The sun sets here are awesome as well as the deep night skies.

Krabi vid to be inserted here!

If You Catch Me at the Boarder I've Got Visas In My Name!

The next stop was Penang, a few hours south across the boarder in Malaysia.

We walked across the boarder check point fine and everything was in order. However, we'd not been driving in the mini bus (which got across the boarder fine too) for more than 10 minutes before a police car pulled us over! The armed police man checked the drivers papers and questioned our trip leader - Mira - for a what seemed longer than two minutes! Turns out it was a bent copper with too much time under his mustache just trying to "get some coffee money" out of us... Pha!

The lush green foothills and snaking roads of Malaysia were bizarrely instantly noticeably different to landscape of south Thailand.

The next destination Penang was a British colonial town - the architecture gives this away, with a fort and the oldest Chinese temple in SE Asia! Alittle ashamed of the way the British and the East Indian Trading Company came along with all their arrogance and spread their religion, language and ways. The place seems quite quaint and dilapidated, while the older people seemed to have surrendered to the furious heat of the sun and tiredness.


KL - Kuala Lumpur

The capital of Malaysia is a clean, green city which has grown in its post modern style drastically in the past 10 years due to enjoying an economical boom. It had more than enough to keep us busy for the two days and two nights we were here. The highlights of which I'd say were The KL City Center Petronas Twin Towers, the 420 metre KL tower (which was excellent for viewing the Petrona towers... See Video below).

The first night (A Saturday night...) was spent in the Petronas twin towers and in a chilled reggae bar with the Liverpool vs. Man united match (4-1) HA! I say bar, but it was more like a shrine.. a place of worship for all lovers of the Bob Marley and all things reggae. The bar was followed by a club...meh. The next day me and Swedish Daniel spent being productive and doing a couple of attractions.

The Batu caves are a 30 minute drive out of KL. However being in Malaysia - Where many random tangents are taken - this 30 minute taxi drive turned into a 45 minute ride as we were conveniently heading in the direction of our drivers home and he seemed to think nothing of picking his wife up on the way so they could go for breakfast once he'd dropped us off! lol?!
The way the contrasting blue and warm light glowed in the cave and played with the water dripping in the cave made for some atmospheric snaps. next we zipped across town to get and elevator up the KL tower and play on the tilting monorail system between shopping malls. Inevitably me and Daniel bumped into the shop-o-holic half of the group. Shoes are tooooooooo cheap here! :cp

KL tower vid to be inserted here!

Your World Comes Crashing Around You...

I've had technical failures with every electronic device I have with me within the past three weeks...

My half decent Sony camera has been getting a little too warm in the Asian baking heat and sometimes has problems focusing... Also if i take the camera from a heavenly air conditioned hotel room outside, the camera quickly gets condensation forming on the lens and LCD! ha... A camera bag has helped to reduce these two probs...

Secondly my phone display stopped working randomly for a few days and i declared it dead.... even tho the alarm went off at 8 am every morning, obviously i had no way of turning it off because the of the screen! Eventually the battery died! Miraculously, a few days ago the phone screen decided to start working again!!!

Finally my Zen mp3 player crashed, so i rebooted it, however every time i turn it on now it has to re-build the music directory. This whole process takes about 10 minutes... It also seems to be unable to find all the mp3s..

Still i persist ;c)

I've been Waiting A Life Time....

Monkey Business



This morning went for rain a forest trek! Lots of wild life and plants to be seen. Got a bit sweaty, but was nice to have a dip in the clear water river. Geckos wandering around, lizards, camelions, flying lizards! And plenty of bugs.... and leeches urgh.

Yesterday went tubing! involves floating down a river in a truck tyre inner tube! Awesome! lazy days. Nice when the only thing u have to worry about is floating around a log or not getting beached!

Before that it was a relaxing but vigorous Thai massage - would recommend this to anyone and everyone!

Feeling Itchy with my Gecko tattoo i got, mozy bites and beard at the moment!

Until next time!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29685328@N05/


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=222232&id=577885146&l=114bb



Rich

Took a Midnight Train...

Chang Mai

Friday the 27th I met my tour group and leader for heading north to trek through the lush jungles of Thailand. Nice small group of 5 of us got a sleeper train to Chang Mai, after an orientation walk around Bangkok... most of which I'd seen already, so think I've had my fill of Bangkok now...

Chang Mai is another hustling, bustling Thai city, with chaotic traffic, streets filled with market stalls and smiling people that make me feel quite tall... A big moat and red brick crumbling wall surrounds the city which was built about 700 years ago to defend against Burma forces invading the city. Our hotel is very nice, with an all important shower and comfy bed.

Saturday was our first day in Chang Mai and I attended an enjoyable simple Thai cooking class for a small fee. The evening saw our group take a night out along the road of bars to see some live Thai boxing, which i enjoyed alot more than i anticipated. Its a clean and frequently funny sport, with up to four boxers in the ring, sometimes all blind folded... LOL! The ref got it a few times. Me and MAC in the group attempted our second bucket.... A hole bottle of whisky in a bucket with some coke and ice thrown in for a bit of colour(!) Three occasions now I've had to take a Tuk Tuk home now after getting halfway through a second bucket once completing the first... why do I not learnnnnnnnn!

Thai boxing - Scenes of violence

Kicking up Dust!

Sunday saw the start of the three day trek, which involved sleeping at two Thai tribe villages deep in the jungle, playing football with the locals (after a four hour trek(!)), visiting an awesome waterfall, riding an elephant for over an hour (amazing mammals) and bamboo rafting for over 10km on the last day through rapids as well as picturesque surroundings before getting a ride back to Chang Mai. The local foods made by our guides (Mr. Chi and Mr. Wit) and the villages, they were nice, chili in everything here! The Portuguese introduced the Thai to chilies only 300 years ago... Still overly popular.

Elephant ride

A soft hotel bed and shower was very welcome. Yesterday evening we visited a night market with a food court and traditional eastern dancing. A lazy pressie shopping day today. Few things to post home now.

Back on the train going anywhere tonight for the next part of my Thai adventure! White sandy beaches...? Its nice to be leaving the city and to have seen the more rural aspect of Thailand. tho even the first village had a satellite dish to receive the latest football matches!

Go on leave me comment!!

36 Degrees Celcius!

Weather is so nice! Humid, but nice! ha!


Bangkok Dos and Don'ts!

Do!
- Barter for Tuk-Tuks!
- Only use yellow licence plate Tuk-Tuks - government run
- Try and make sure your Tuk-Tuk trip is direct to where you want to go..!
- Visit Khaosan road in evening
- Visit Kwai bridge
- Talk to strangers
- Visit Saim paragon / other shopping compelexs

Don't
- Let anyone get you into a Tuk-Tuk to a suit shop!!
- Get in a white plate Tuk-Tuk
- Forget to put on suncream or anti moz (mosquito) spray
- Drink the water!
- Buy anything from Khaosan road market

Having a little trouble with getting money onto my cash cards, but Tuesday booked trip to see bridge over river Kwai and Tiger Temple. Very tired tuesday - the heat exsacerbates the situation, but am very excited about this!! :c) Cost 2000 Baht which is about 40 pounds... two days worth of my budget. Hence todays quiet session in the cyber cafe and a bit of postcard writing!

Loads always going on in Khaosan road! Always music being played and food to be had - which they like spicy here :cP Seen loads of local sights tooo.

Said goodbye to my friend John Tuesday evening as he is heading north now to Chang Mai via a few other destinations. I will also be heading north on the night of the 27th.

Sprawling Metropolis

Earlier in the week me and John paid a visit to down town Bangkok via canal boat. A crazy and wondrous place of roads above streets and trains above buildings! It's a very vibrant busy place with lots of shopping centres and traffic everywhere. Tho it does have its open green spaces.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29685328@N05/3307257492/sizes/l/

Touristy Thailand

Yesterday went to see the Kwai bridge and a memorial cemetery - A bit of history. Walked over the bridge and did the touristy thing by taking some photos - only steel bridge along the river out of over --- bridges. Not much between you and the strong currant flowing river below... Just kept looking ahead! Was a nice experience and is one of the sights i would recommend visiting whist in Bangkok.

The Tiger temple was another matter... Some of the Tigers seemed heavily drugged and were on short chains. I didn't really agree with this and animal exploitation does seem to be a bit of an issue here in Bangkok at least.
However the Tigers were amazing! And to be close and touch one is unreal! The Tiger supervisors did seem to look after them well and keep them cool with water. The younger ones seemed fine and were very lively!

I do believe I've seen my fair share of temples around Bangkok now! They're free but a donation is appreachiated. Plus, once you've seen one or two.... to be honest you've seen them all. Last tourist thing on my list is the grand palace and reclining Buddah.

Am now in a bit more up-market hotel few last night and tonight. Tho is expencive. Got a phone call from Ben last night :cD He was rubbing it in that Metallica gig was tonight. Gits. Cost about 3pounds for me to recieve the 6 minute call :cS. Tho i can't explain how good it is to hear a familiar voice! Its not soo bad when you're
with people and on the go doing things, but once you're aloan in your room with nothing to do except hand wash clothes and eat alone it does start to get to me abit and my mind wonders where I'm not going for another 360 days.....Home...

Miss you all x