Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Terbulant Toronto

Been cruising around Toronto for the past 2 days with 2 buddies from Montreal (Nat & Pen). Hired a car... was awesome to drive again, one thing that I miss a lot!
Drove to Niagara on Xmas eve, was bitterly cold, but worth it, have always wanted to go to the falls and I was soooo excited to be there, it was everything I imagined it would be.... wet!? ;o)

Christmas day was a lazy one, everyone was nursing a festive size hangover but spirits were high and having Xmas dinner with over 30 people was emotional. Felt rather home sick, and boo-hoo'd a bit, but was surrounded by great people that looked after me.

Chilling out in Toronto, doing the touristy thing... you know how it it... Clubbing, CN Tower, Art Galleries... Shoe Museum...???!!! lol, killing time before I head back to the States and Chicago where I'm gonna be hangin' out with my old pal Jason (Thailand), gonna spend New Years there... Can't wait!!!

Guess that's where you will hear from me next.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays

xx

p.s. - Shout out to the Global Village Gang... Thanx for making it a great Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Just wanted to wish everyone a fantastic Christmas... Drink lots and make merry.

Thinkin' of you and missin' you all like crazy

x

Friday, December 22, 2006

Magical Montreal

Wow...

Montreal is beautiful!!! Everything about it is beautiful... The streets, the buildings, the cafes, the bars and the people.
Spent my first couple of days here doing the touristy thing and really getting to know my way around the city. It's easy to navigate around this place and there are sooo many hidden gems that there is a massive chance that you may miss something great if you're not on foot.
Managed to catch up with an old friend, Micheal from Basingstoke, if you can believe that!
Was nice to see him after almost 5 years!!! He's changed lots and I hardly recognised him. He's modeling here in Montreal so is quite well known... he's been taking me to some swanky bars and restaurants and we seemed to get hooked up everywhere we go... handy!
I'm meeting up with Jean-Phillipe (from Vegas) and his girlfriend tonight... they want to take me to a lesbian bar.. should be interesting... :o/
I think I am going to head to Toronto tomorrow, I'm worried about being on my own for Xmas...
The place that I am staying at the moment is great, but I really don't have that much time left in Canada and need to keep moving. If I get to Toronto asap I can try and make some new friends to hang out with over the festive period ;o)
It's snowing here, so I am still keeping my fingers crossed for a white Christmas!!!

Ok kidz, guess I'll catch up with from Toronto

xx

Monday, December 18, 2006

Down 'n Dirty Dallas

Actually Dallas itself is pretty, well... pretty, as far as city's go.

The people however are another story... ;o)

I spent the weekend hanging out with Michael and it was fantastic... It was nice to have a couple of days of normality... using the word 'normality' very loosely, taking consideration of the fact that I compare it to the past 3 weeks!!!

Anyway we ate some great food (true "Tex-Mex", or so I am told!), partied & talked politics with the locals and hung out on 'The Grassy nole'... lol, oh and I got attacked by the smallest dog you have ever seen... well actually it didn't even attack me, it just kindda barked at me, and I freaked out much to the amusement of everyone else, namely Mike!

I was sad to say goodbye to Dallas & Mike. I have to admit that Dallas came as a pleasent diversion to my trip. I feel as though I just didn't get enough time there, so hopefully I'll be able to swing back by there again soon.

Thankx for making me stop over Micheal...

p.s. - I was going to discuss ways in which you could improve & tell everyone how terribly you misstreated me, but I haven't got all night ;o)

Hope you and Catharine have an awesome time in Mexico, have a fantastic Christmas and New Years

xx

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Beautiful Banff

I said a teary farewell to Chris and Jason and the rest of the Samsun gang, leaving Vancouver well and truly behind me. It rained a lot the last couple of days so to be honest I was glad to be going... Plus I got my foot caught in a bus door while I was there, which has left me emotionally wounded, I don't know if I will ever be able to return there again?!

I headed out to Banff for brighter sky's and fresh powder... I mean snow... idiot!

Don't worry though, I wasn't heading out alone. Met Chrissie (True Essex Chic) and Mark (Ozzy boy... surprise, surprise) and the three of us set out together! We arrived safe and sound after a hairy drive trough the Rockies!!!

Banff was pristine and maybe even a little pretentious, but what do you expect, it was founded as a resort. Got trollied the first night which didn't really do us any favors. Chrissie and I had planned to spend the Morning sightseeing at Lake Louise (more like snowfield at this time of year) and then the afternoon on the slopes. I'm pleased to admit however that against all odds, WE STILL MADE IT! Subsequently I am covered in even more bruises than I had stated in my previous blogg... If that is at all possible!?

Anyway I'm in Calgary now heading East across Canada... Have to take a little detour tomorrow to Dallas... Texas... Gonna go and hang out with Mike (Green Tortoise Hostel, San Fran) Can't wait! Then off to Montreal... I think.

I really have no clue what is going on with my flights... every time I call up to confirm, I find out they have changed?! Whoever’s messin' around with them you best stop!!! Otherwise who knows where I will end up.

Ok Guess I'll catch you crazy kidz in Texas!

p.s - You will be pleased to know that I have managed to find a USB connection... In the library... yeah that’s right... I'm in the library.... cheeky!
BUT... It won't let me download the tool that I need to upload my pics...

Guess I'll have to try and give it a go in Texas!

Yee-haa for now

xx

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Hey guy's just wanted to let everyone know that Emma has had a little baby girl... Don't know the name yet, but will let you know as soon as I do.

It's also Emma's Birthaday today so wanted to say a Huge

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!**

**CONGRATULATIONS**

to the new Mum and Birthday Girl Emma and Dad Craig ...
Uncle Bob and Grandparents Russ & Shan... sorry couldn't help myself ;o)

but most importantly to me... for being a New Auntie.... yipee!

Also have to wish my Mum a Happy Birthday too... Hope you had a good 'en Mummy ;o)

Take care all... Wish I could be there... Missing you like crazy

xx

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Whistler Wonderland

Oh my god!!!

How much am I hurting right now.. I'm hurting in places that I didn't even know existed! It was oh sooo worth it though... every god damn minute.

I love snowboarding... can't wait to get back on the slops... probably Banff, which is my next stop. Don't get me wrong, I lost count of how many times I stacked it, but I would like to think that eventually I got the better of the slop as opposed to the other way round!!?? ;o)

Whistler was awesome, so serene & kicking at the same time and, it was made sooo much better by the fact that Vic (that's right...Victor Gonzalez-George ... the one and only, Vic from Lilly) tracked me down. He's at Whistler for the season and between them, Chris and him thought me how to ski, but I have to admit my passion lies with boarding.

Hung out with Vic, Josh (Auckland... also from Lilly (Vic's partner in crime)) and Chris for the past 3 days. I was blown away by the fact that Vic had spent 2 days trying to track me down, and succeeded. It was good to see him and Josh as I was feeling a tad homesick this week, but I can safely say that I am well over that now.

Got back to Vancouver last night in time to watch the Canucks play the Hurricanes... what an awesome game. If anyone caught it they will know that it ended with a sudden death goal by the Canucks, sending the crowd wild.

Anyway that's it for now, gonna spend the next couple of days getting my self together, then Banff, Calgary and Dallas.

Guess I'll catch you next from the slopes of Banff?!

Till then... take care my budding boarders

p.s. - God damn that Rodeo Bull!!!

;o)

xx

Monday, December 04, 2006

Vancouver Views

Arrived safe and sound in Vancouver...

Have been hanging out with Chris for the past couple of days doing all the touristy stuff... you know how it is. Went Canadian style bowling yesterday, which was an interesting experience, more like skittles and a little more primitive, as suspected my game got progressively worse, not quite sure if it was because I was being cocky about kicking ass or if it had something to do with the jug of beer that we were polishing off....? :o/

Anyway Ice skating tonight before heading off to Whistler tomorrow to hit the slopes, where Mr Youngs (aka Chris) has kindly offered to give me some lessons... well, he is a teacher and I wanna be taught!!! Can't wait, it's going to be a Sity style disaster. Hopefully I'll make it back in one piece so that I can tell you all about it, and make the Canucks vs Hurricanes match next Friday, that we managed to wangle tickets for... That's (Vancouver style) Ice Hockey for you amateurs out there... soooo looking forward to that!

Went out last night with my long time buddy Jason.... was soooo nice to see him, got hammered, surprise, surprise and rode the rodeo bull in 'Buffalos Bar' ... nice! Subsequently walking around today in complete agony looking like I've got a rod stuck up my arse!

I'm not sure if anyone got a photo, but if they did, I'll be sure to publish it. just as soon as I find a Bloody USB connection.... God.... what is it with this place!!!! NO USB... AAAHHHHHH!!!!

Keep reading ... I promise I'll get some photos up asap

From the North

Sity
xx

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Beer Ponged Out

I know you haven't heard from me for a while, but I've been a busy, busy girl, or am I confusing busy with lazy... hmmm...???

Anyway I'm still in San Fran, and seeing as how I am a local now, I can call it 'Frisco'. I've been here for bloody ages, and aside from doing all the touristy crap... Golden Gate Bride, Beat Museum, Alcatraze, Yosemite park... yada yada yada, I have been partying my little pants off!

I'm currently residing on Broadway at the Green Tortoise Hostel where it appears that the police states you have to have something 'Not Quite Right' about you to stay! I'M SERIOUS!!! The residents here have a lot to answer for... I fit right in ;o) I have met the strangest and warmest people yet.

Anyway I'm heading to Canada tomorrow so really excited about that. Have made a new travel buddy... Chris, who is also heading my way. I get some photos up, but have still not managed to find a computer with USB access... so you're just gonna have to wait... my apologies.

Finally a great big Thanx to everyone I met at the Tortoise... I had the best Thanxgiving ever!!! I think you guys helped me do more damage to my liver than anyone has ever managed before... Cheers!

Shout outs to: Aaron, Lisa, Chris, Elton, Peter, Simon, John, Blake, Warren, Andy, Adam, Mike, Paul, Julie, Reece, Cam, Ted and Lendon

Anyway I guess I'll catch up with you in Canada.

Take it easy

xx

Thursday, November 23, 2006

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Hey everyone...

Just wanted to wish you all a fantastic Thanxgiving...

This will be my first Thanksgiving ever!!! Have a massive Thanksgiving feast planned for tonight, gonna be sooo much fun, can't wait.

Hope evryone has a good one

Sity

xx

Stupefying San Francisco

To be honest I'm not quite sure what to make of San Fran... Seedy or Swanky?

My first impression hasn't been great, probably 'cos I had such high expectations and I arrived at 5am joining all the freaks and weirods out on the dark streets of SF resulting in me being propositioned!!!

Still I've moved to a fantastic hostel and things are looking up... as always I am trying to keep an open mind.

Watch this space.

Will get photos up as aoon as I find a USB connection

xx

Viva Las Vegas

Well, well, well...

Soooo much has happened since I last wrote. Where was I ...?

Oh yeah... I left San Diego for the Grand Canyon and then Las Vegas, taking in Hoover Damn along the way. I have to admit, the Canyon was spectacular. We were pretty lucky as it was a beautiful hot day for us and visability was fantastic.

Las Vegas was interesting.... Not so much for the place as for the people. Once again I managed to stay in the worst area of town... AVOID FREEMONT!!!
Even the police warned me not to venture out on my own, saying that they didn't wanna be scraping me off the pavement!!! This probably worked out in favour for the hostel that I was staying at as it bought all the guests closer together, resulting in lots of 'team' activities such as, hitting 'The Stip' in a giant pink hummer limo, hostel BBQ's and trips to the flicks (went to watch Casino Royal, well, we were in Vegas, would be rude not to). Met sooo many unique people there, missing them now that I am in San Fran, have planned to meet up with some of them alonng the next leg of my journey.

One of the highlights of Vegas has got to have been driving out into the middle of the dessert in Clays convertible to watch the meteor shower in the middle of the night. Cheers Clay, that was an awesome experience, and one money can't buy.

Anyway I hope you guys aren't missing me too much ;o)

Have a fantastic Thanxgiving

From San Fran

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Viva Las Vegas

Well, well, well

Soooo much has happened since I last wrote, where was I...? Oh yeah...
I left San Diego for The Grand Canyon & then Las Vegas, taking in Hoover Damn along the way. I have to admit the Canyon was awesome. It was a beautiful, hot day for us, so we were lucky as we had been advised to take jackets, but we didn't really need them.
Las Vegas was 'interesting', not so much for the place, but for the people. Once again I managed to stay in the worst area in town... AVOID FREEMONT!!!
Even the police warned me not to venture out on my own as 'they didn't wanna be scraping me off the pavemnet'.
This probably worked in the favour of the hostel that I was staying at as it bought everyone closer together resulting in lots of 'team' activities, like hitting 'The Strip' in a giant pink hummer limo, hostel BBQ's and trips to the flicks... (went to watch 'Casino Royal'... well we were in Vegas).
Met soooo many people there, missing them now that I am in San Francisco, have planned to meet some of them along the next part of my journey.
One of the hightlights of Vegas has gotta have been driving out into the middle of the dessert in Clays convertible and wathing the meteor shower... Thanx Clay, that was an awesome experience!

Catch ya later crazy kidz...

Shout out to the guys at the Freemont Ghetto... Have a great Thanxgiving, hope your not missing me too much

xx

Thursday, November 16, 2006

San Diego Sunset

By far and away San D is my favorite West Coast city... It's got everything a girl could want...

Beautiful bods, beautiful beaches and beautiful booze!!!

Hung out on Ocean Beach for a few days before heading into the Historic Gaslamp Quarter. Made a new Canadian friend... Brendan who I have managed to talk into coming on a road trip with me to Vegas & The Grand Canyon!!! We leave tomorrow and then who knows where the road will take us.
One thing I do know is that I definitely wanna come back to this place, even if it is only to shop!

I have to give Dayla a shout out... (One of the girls from OC...) I randomly bumped into her last night after my crazy night out with Paul, Sean and Brendan, she took me on a wild tour of the suburbs and to some cool house parties... your crazy girl.. thanx for hooking me up.

Internet is way way expensive over here so I'll update whenever I can... Probably from San Fran... Where I should be spending Thanksgiving... How exciting!

p.s. Went to watch the Borat Movie tonight... How funny is that... It's soooo popular over here, and its a complete piss take out of the yanks... One thing you have to give them.. they sure can laugh at themselves, although a few people did get up and leave... Whoops :o/

Catch ya later
xx

Saturday, November 11, 2006

"Bust a cap in your ass"

My welcome to America was being forced by customs to book a hostel in LA before I arrived there... Arriving 'there' was weird enough for me seeing as I gained a day on my way over here?! :o/ In fact I actually landed here before I took off in Auckland :o/

So upon the recommendation of a 'Friend' and the 'S**t Planet' I chose Backpacker 'Paradise'... In INGLEWOOD... hmmm. You may ask yourself, 'What’s wrong with Inglewood', well, lets put it this way... There was a drive by shooting in Inglewood last week, behind my hostel, and, all guests were warned not to go outside after dark!!!

I managed to get hold of my friend Anita (a trekking buddy of mine from Thailand) who just so happened to be having a house part last night! and I'm currently residing with her in a rather nice part of Orange County... Thanx 'Nita, awesome party.

For all its flaws, I LOVE America!!!

Can't wait to hit San Diego this week...

xx

P.S. Did a massive tour of LA yesterday... All the touristy hot spots... Sunset Strip, Hollywood Boulevard... blah blah blah, blah blah blah. You gotta love being a tourist... so cheesy!!!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Asta La Vista Auckland

I have pretty much been doing NOTHING in Auckland, chilling out and socialising was high up on the agenda... and we all know what I mean by socialising, don't we...?! I'm sorry to say that my time in NZ is trough... I have cained this country and leaving the wake of devastation behind me, its time to hit the States.

I fly to LA tonight and will actually land in LA before I have taken off in NZ... weird concept, no doubt my body clock will be confused, but then again after last nights leaving do and Chris' Birthday Bash, you think I would be used to it.

Have to say a thanx to everyone that I have met in Auckland especially the Fort Street Gang, I wouldn't have made it through this week without you... Gimmie a 'Woo Rah'

Team America.... **** Yeah!!! ;o)

From Auckland.... Over and Out

xx

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Wondrous Waitomo

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves were awe-inspiring.... In the darkness of the caves it seemed just as though I was laying under a starry sky... I managed to get some good photos, but have left them back at the hostel... will upload them as soon as I get the chance... As well as the tubing, the abseiling and rock climbing was also fun but I have to admit that I am covered in bruises now... Taking it easy is definitely the name of the game, at least for the next few days anyway :o/

Have managed to get my way back to Auckland by hitching a lift with Steve from Bournmouth, thanx Steve.

Not sure what I'm gonna do next... The friends that I made in Auckland previously are have got another gig this weekend, so I will probably hang around for that the maybe head off to Fiji or even the States earlier...

Keep an eye on the space for updates
Hope all is well with you guys
xx

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Buckle Bunnies Beware

Ok so the last time I wrote, I think I was going on about taking it easy for a few days 'cos the girls had left to go to Oz and I was on my own again... Or something like that?!

Boy was I wrong... ;o)

I met a Cowgirl... that’s right an authentic Kiwi Cowgirl. She'd been out with me and the girls and the rest of the 'Base backpacker' gang on Jo and Khirsty's final night, and no sooner had the girls left the following day I had a call from Shannon (Cowgirl) asking me if I wanted to join her on a 2 day road trip... we went to the Nature Reserve and Wildlife Park just outside of Christchurch we're I amused everyone by screaming at a pouncing cheetah shortly followed by almost falling out of Shannon’s car... I use the word 'car' very loosely :o/ We then drove to Hanmer Springs to chill out in the spa's there.

Anyway we hit it off and Shannon invited me to join her and her boyfriend Cowboy Cain for a Rodeo weekend in the South Island... How could I refuse...
We picked Cain up from the airport and hit Winchester for the first Rodeo... it was fantastic... lots of sun, fun, and beer... Those Cowboys sure know how to drink.
The second Rodeo of the season was the bigger of the 2 and was held in Methvan, it was packed, as was the town, I've never seen so many cowboy hats in my life... We partied hard and listened to lots of country music... I tried to learn the local etiquette as best I could... I think Shan may make a Cowgirl out of me yet ;o)

I have to say a massive thanx to Shan and Cain for not only taking me to the Rodeo, but for letting me & Mick (The Monkey) hitch a lift all the way back to Hamilton with them, and for them putting me up at their lovely hilltop farm home in Raglan... Raglan is beautiful.

Cheers Guys

Going to Waitomo Glowworm Caves this weekend to do some Blackwater Rafting, Caving & Abseiling (apparently down some waterfalls) should be challenging... or interesting if I have anything to do with it.

From a chilled out Sity in Hamilton...

xx

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Kicking Queenstown

Queenstown was pretty mad...

I hiked up to one of the look outs to see some stunning views of the city as well as have a couple of goes on the hill side Luge ride, take in a Maori show and the sky gondola... apart from that there isn't much else to do in Queenstown except of course all the extreme activities and then there is always drinking, which I am ashamed to say I did quite a lot of...

In fact yesterday we started at midday and hit all the happy hours for all the pubs in Queenstown... finishing at 3am .. hmmm.. no wonder I am feeling a little rundown...

I wasn't a complete waster though I did manage to take in a trip to Te Anau and Milford Sounds... it left Queenstown at 6.30 am and I can't believe that I actually made it, neither could anyone else. It was definitely worth it though the scenery on there and on the way was breathtaking... Whoever said that NZ was a beautiful wasn't kidding...
We managed to take in a few famous sites, including some of the locations used in 'The Lord of the Rings' films... Standing under the waterfall had to be the highlight of the day though... it literally took my breath away.

Arrived in Christchurch yesterday after a 7 hour drive through the center of the South Isalnd and the stunning banks of Lake Tekapo, dropped off the campervan and have basically been sleeping since then... It's Jo and Khisty's last night in NZ today so there is no way that I am going to get away with another night off... Plus the Kiwi bus has just turned up.... ;o)

I'm planning on staying in Christchurch for a week... have managed to score a few nights free accommodation and plan on just chilling out, getting a plan of action together and getting myself back on my feet...

From Christchurch...

xx

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Seal Attack

The past week has been a bit fly by the seats of our camper....

We pretty much killed the North Island and are well and truly conquering the South...

After a breathtaking channel crossing we hit Kiakoura, where we had some close encounters with Seals and Sea Gulls... I basically got chased around the car park by a ferrule seal, it has got to be one of the sacriest and funniest things to have happened to me in NZ... I think everyone else found it quite amusing too, seeing as they were all in hysterics, you should have seen the look on my face... Priceless... Walked along the stunning coastline and took in the fresh sea breeze before making our way across the Island via Hanmer Springs, Lewis Pass and a Southern Alps snow storm on our way to Franz Josef and our Glacier Hike.

The Glacier Hike was stunning spent 8 hours on the ice caving, tunneling and hiking... got some great pics.

We then headed further south down through Fox Glacier, Haast and Wanaka to Queenstown where we roughed it for our first night and have decided to check into a hostel so we can prep ourselves for a wild weekend... The 'Stray' gang are hot on our tails and should be arriving here tonight so it's gonna get rather messy... I'm loving Queenstown... It's a small town with a city feel.... right up my street.

Not sure what activities we are gonna do here, but the 'Canyon Swing' and the 'Shotover Rafting' looks great...

Watch this space..

p.s. - Wanted to give the BIGGEST SHOUT OUT EVER to Emma and Craig for their wedding day on Saturday 14th, for me that is tomorrow.... Have an awesome day you crazy kidz
My love to the rest of the family too... Have a couple of vinos for me

xx

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Windy Welly

In Wellington at the moment and so far it's been rather interesting... Couldn't find a camp site close to town so ended up parking the van up on the road and sleeping in it there... not good when you work out in the morning that you have been sleeping on some council housing estate!!!

Great... :o/

Anyway treated ourselves to a hostel for the past 2 nights and it's been absolute bliss... We have been hot of the tails of the 'Stray' bus and have been hanging out with the crown from Taupo again... Hoping to meet up with them again in the South. Last night was a bit messy, but we we're celebrating our awesome sky dive and also the fact that we managed to survive the night out on the streets not to mention a whole week in the campervan... yeeehaaa!

Heading South tomorrow to Picton not sure what the plan is from there, but all I know is that it's gonna get even colder... have had to purchase gloves, hats and a new coat... trendy!

Took in the sites of Wellington today via the Cable cart, Botanical Gardens and The Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa... very interesting... learnt lots about the history of NZ

From Welly...

xx

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

EZY Travels

So the girls and I have been on the road since Auckland...
It's been rather cosy the three of us in a two birth campervan, but at least we haven't been getting cold, and it's been a great laugh.

We headed up to the Bay of Islands after leaving X Base Backpackers and my semi-final ,in the pool competition, (much to the dismay of all the men involved), where we took a boat around the bay and did some awesome Dolphin Watching as well as taking in the sites of the famous 'Cod Hole'?!

We then headed south to Rotorua where we spent the day bathing in the volcanic natural spa's, soaking up the Maori culture, and watched the beautiful lakes pass by on our journey even further south to Taupo, the out adventure capital of the North Island. We have booked ourselves on a sky dive for tomorrow, and even though I have been there before, I must admit that I am feeling rather anxious.... Guess I'll give you an update after the event... If I make it through alive!

It's pretty tricky to get to an internet terminal when you're on the road, especially when you are staying on campsites, sometimes without electricity let alone a computer?!

The general plan is to carry on traveling South... To Turangi to do the 'Mokai fox free fall - 180m high at 160kph' then to Wellington and Picton and so on and so on.... We're planning on doing a major sporting activity in each place we visit... Black water rafting sounds quite cool and so does the Zorbing, but we'll have to wait and see if our nerves will be able to cope with the New Zealand sensory overload.

Missing home loads this week... Emma's wedding is coming up soon... Hopefully I'll get sent some good pics...

Till the next time...

xx

Sunday, October 01, 2006

A Random Sequence of Events

So far Auckland has been great...

As usual have met some fantastic people... Kiwi's are just as great as Ozzy's although I fear that they would be offended to hear it.

It has been pretty much downhill since I landed in Auckland and got chatting toa couple of Irish lads (Dan & Rob) who talked me into coming to stay at their backpackers (seeing as I didn't have a clue where I was going)... 'Irish'... say's it all!!!

I also met a couple of girls from Manchester (Jo & Chirsty) who are in the process of picking up a campervan to drive to Christchurch over the next 3 weeks... we hit it off soooo well, that they have asked me to join them on their travels... so I will be on the road for the next 3 weeks... Not sure how this whole camping thing works, but I'm sure I'll suss it out eventually. The girls have just arrived from Fiji where they actually made friends with some guy's from Auckland. We hung out with them over the weekend at the 'Auckland Sea Food Festival'... good music, good food and good company. The lads invited us to a couple of house party's this weekend, which we hit hard and then I even managed to make it to 'The Sunday Session' where I went to watch their band play... I have to admit they are pretty good!!!

As far as the touristy things go, I haven't really done much apart from The Auckland Museum, The Sky Tower and the Sea Food Festival. I've been focusing my attentions of mixing it up with the locals, and I think I've done a good job, even if I do say so myself... who said Aucklanders were stuck up?!

From Auckland...

p.s. I managed to put a nights work in at the backpackers I am staying at too, for room and board... First days work in 6 monts... almost killed me... Oh yeah, was my 6 month anniversary of being on the road yesterday... Can't belive I've made it this far!!!

xx

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Cool Cairns

My 5 days in Cairns has been awesome...

I booked myself on to a 'Liver-Aboard' for 3 days and crammed in loads of diving on the Great Barrier Reef, as well as managing to dive the Yonglla.. Finally!!!

The 'Liver-Aboard' was fantastic, got certified as an 'Adventure Diver' and met loads of like minded people to party with. The staff and crew were great and once we were back on dry land, we hit Cairns hard.

The Journey back from the Boat moored out on the Reef had to be the highlight though, we were lucky enough to be in the company of a Mother Whale and her Baby heading South, 2 months late!!! They should have left the waters around Cairns ages ago, they were sooo close it was mind blowing!

I also did a day trip to Cape Tribulation, which was beautiful and The Oldest Regenerating Tropical Rain Forest in The World', The Daintree.

I've really been cramming in the tourist stuff 'cos I felt like I've been a bit of a bum of recent, but the past 4 days have more than made up for it.

I leave Oz in the morning and I must admit that I will be sad to say good-bye. My time here has been fantastic and I've met soooo many great people that I will miss.

I have to say one last Massive thanx to everyone that I have interacted with here again... you have all been so warm, friendly and hospitable, and if you should ever find yourself in my neck of the woods, be sure to look me up.
Those of you who I have planned to meet up with I hope to see you in the not so distant future, and for those of you whom I fear I will never see again... Take it easy and keep in touch.

From Oz... Over and Out

xx

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Barricaded Inn

I said a sorry farewell to Micha, Margo and Grant and the small city of Townsville this morning to head further up the coast to my final Ozzy destination... Cairns!!!

I love it hear and its gonna be a pretty busy place for me, I'm booked on to a Live-a-board dive trip for the next 3 days and then I'm spending the next couple of days on a tour up to Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation and The Daintree Rainforest... I'm sooo looking forward to doing some more diving, trekking and kayaking, I feel like I have been a total bum for the past 3 weeks, so as usual I am going to spend the next 4/5 days making up for it, it's a tough job but someone has to do it!!!

I do miss Townsville though and I'm going to take some great memories of the place with me, Micha (aka Mishka) and I just spent the last 2 days giggling and reeking havoc around the city... once again met some great people and had lots of fun... did you expect anything less?!

Magnetic Island was beautiful, (even though it was preparing itself for the full Moon party that night), as was the Aquarium, I wouldn't normally have visited yet another aquarium, but it is 'The Largest Coral Reef Aquarium in The World', so it had to be done, and it was well worth it... Learnt loads about Marine life.

I guess I'll give you an update when I get back from the last of my Ozzy adventures...

Till then

xx

p.s. - Massive thanx to Margo, Grant and Kizza for letting me stay in their beautiful house and chasing around after me.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Shhhh... Don't mention the 'T' word

After making a sneaky escape from Airlie Beach where apart from making a new group of friends, getting ridiculously drunk and taking in the amazing scenery, I managed to gain myself a nick name...
Its not Sity, to match Ozzy style its been changed to Sito (pronounced Sid-doe) lol, Thanx DJ and Pistol Pete ;o)

Am in Townsville now staying with Jess's folks in their amazing house. (Jess from Brizzy... Thanx mate... you hooked me up and I appreciate it).

One thing I have noticed is that no one from Townsville actually likes to admit that they are from Townsville, so for their sake I have been forced to refer to the 'T' word as a Southern Suburb of Cairns.

Meeting up with Micha tomorrow for some drinks, the hitting Magnetic Island, before setting sail for my long awaited diving trip to the ship wreck of the SS Yongala...

Can't wait
xx

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Heavenly Hervey Hitch Hike

Number 1 on 'The Most Random' thing to have happened to me on this trip so far....

Hervey Bay was beautiful as was fraser Island, but I didn't hang around there for too long. After meeting a couple of ladies from Brisbane and dining with then, I got chatting to a guy who happened to be the captain of a $6 million boat... He was heading North to Airlie Beach which was my next stop, so I jumped on board for a 2 day boat trip along the east coat of Oz stopping off in a couple of places along the way... It was amazing lots of Whales and Dolphins, not to mention a life of luxury... I struck gold I can tell you... We traveled around lots of Islands along the way and The Whitsunday's, and I kayaked yesterday too, it was sooo beautiful.

I'll get photos up as soon as I can!!!

I was sad to leave Brisbane and think about it all the time though... My 2 weeks there were bloody strange too.. anyone who met me would agree I think!?
I've been in Airlie beach for the past 4 days, and I can tell you things haven't been much calmer here.. In fact today I even have the shakes...

I met a group of lunatics on my first night here, who befriended me, and won't let me leave, I've pretty much been partying with them. We had a house party last night and things got messy.. thus the shakes and feeling a little worse for ware..

Bumped into one of my friend from Thailand (Finn from Master Divers) today haven't seen him for 3 months... random!!! Am gonna meet up with him for dinner tonight... Never ceases to amaze me how small the world really is!

Heading to Townsville tomorrow, where things should calm down a bit... I hope???

Till then...
xx

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

A Very Sticky Bussiness

I AM STILL STUCK IN BRISBANE!!!!!

Oh my god, I need to sort myself out... (I should have been in and out of Hervey Bay and Fraser Island by now). The past week here has got to be up there in my top 1- 5 most Bizzare weeks.

It's been a massive mix of Clubs, House party's, BBQ's and Chill out sessions, not to mension, Beache's and Ice Cream Cake!!!

It all started in on Thursday when a quite drink trrned into a session with a group of Pikey's, then a night out on the town with the girls where I just so happened to bump into Shan (mate from Byron Bay) who in turn introduced us to all of his awesome mates... not frogetting poor unsuspecting Mike from the stairs (it's his own fault fro loitoring, poor guy didn't know what hit him). Following a bizzar series of events we (Komil and I) have managed to get ourselve well and truely entangled in a whirl wind of strange events mixed up with a whole group of great people. I don't know where to begin explaining so I'm just gonna leave it there.

All I'm gonna say is that I'm going to be extremly sad to leave 'Briz Vegus' and the people here, but we have made plans to hang out all over the world, and I am sure that our paths will cross again..

My love to the whole Brizzy gang... you guys are great

xx

p.s. - Anyone that I have met in Brizzy will know exactaly what I mean by the title of this blogg entry

;o)

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Ball Bustin' Brisbane

I had a fantastic day yesterday..

Komil and I get along amazingly well... Have just spent the last 3 days giggling and doing girly things, was supposed to be taking it easy, but as you can imagine, it ain't happening...

After 2 days of drinking and eating lots of chocolate we decided that we should haul our lazy arses to the gym... Komil took me to her Yoga class and then a Boxing lesson... it was pretty tough work, after being out of action for 5 months, my body is paying for it today I can tell you, and didn't have to pay a penny for it... We just told them that I was thinking of moving here... sorry :o/
We headed into the City so that I could finalise my route and date changes with Qantas and managed to get a free massage in the park... it was awesome, probably the best massage I've ever had... all in all a good day so far.

We headed to The Valley and China town for some lunch and a few drinks and didn’t get back home until the early house of the morning... Got chatting to some locals who kept plying us with alcohol and loads of laughs, so how could we resist... Once again my chilled out night with a quite couple of drinks turned out to be the complete opposite... Oh well, you'd think I'd be used to that by now... but I still get surprised by it every time... lol

Anyway heading to the Gold Coast today to hang out on the beach, before hitting The Valley hard tonight... It is Friday you know?!

;o)

p.s. I’m missing home a lot today... Had a dream about the bowl last night... the original gang was in there... I miss you guys, especially Robert

xx

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Besotted with Byron

Had to go back to Byron to pick up my heart... I loved it there, was sooo chilled out and hand such an awesome time hanging out at the 'Bunkhouse' with all the other weirdo’s and freaks that I had to go back for more punishment...

Dane had the weekend off work so went back so that I couldn’t hang out with him some more (seeing as I was slack in contacting him on my 'waster weekend')
Had a great time hanging out with him… and his psycho mates, who managed to get their hands on my camera, and take some very strange photos… not sure if they are suitable for flickr though?!

(I’ll update my photos this week for sure)

Met some lovely young ladies from Brisbane in Byron Bay (Melissa and Miranda) who let me jump in with them on the way up the East Coast… Those girls are crazy…

I have to shout a MASSIVE THANX to Mel for putting me up at her place and taking me out in Brizzy for my first crazy night… you’re a legend girl… Don’t go changing!

Managed to track down Komil (one of my girly friends from Thailand) and am currently residing with her and her family. They own a chain of restaurants so I fear that I will have to go on some ruthless diet when I get out of Brisbane. Went shopping today in Brizzy CBD and caught the City Cat down the river to ‘West end’ at dusk, was sooo pretty. Went to some funky bars and cafes… 3 Monkeys'' is a great place if you ever get the chance to check it out… you should!

Komil’s friend is coming down to visit her this weekend from Townsville, so I have decided to hang around here until then… we’re gonna have a girly weekend on the coast so it should be pretty eventful, gonna try and squeeze in some Whale Watching too, seeing as it’s Migration Season… can’t wait.

Have to say I’m missing Byron a lot… :o(

Note for Dane: Remember you pinky promised!!!! ;o)

xx

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

'Goofy Feet'

Ok Ok

So I wasn't actually as bad at surfing as I imagined I would be.. In fact I have signed up for another lesson, I fear this will be another expensive hobby... Thankfully not one that I will be able to pursue greatly when I get back, unless I decide to move down to the coast (to surf for one week of the year when the sun shines... lol). (I managed to get some photos too, which should be interesting... will get them up when I get the chance)

Hung out with Dane (friend from Bali) for my last couple of nights in Byron before heading to Nimbin, it was fantastic, really laid back town with more to it than meets the eye.. I managed to get a free tour with a local guide who showed me some of the interesting things going on in and around Nimbin before taking me out to Uki where I spent the night out in the forest, in a TENT!!! It was pretty hair raising.

I woke at 3 am to start my 9k trek up the core of Mt Warning (200 million years old and was the biggest volcano in the Southern Hemisphere) in pitch darkness!!! One of the scariest things I have ever done (considering you can chuck me out of a plane I reckon that's saying something) I was in the Mt Warning rainforest for 5 hrs on my own and only managed to relax when I reached the top (around 1500 meters above sea level) for sunrise. The trek back down wasn't too bad, I saw some awesome views, once again photos just don't do it justice. The 200m sheer rock climb was pretty challenging but rewarding to say the least.

Not sure what I'm doing next so watch this space for an update

xx

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Byron Bay Bunkhouse!

Byron is wicked...

I have been a complete waster.... Thanx to the fact that I arrived on the weekend, I can completely write off the last 3 days.
It all started on Friday night when I rocked up here an hour later than expected (thanx to the train) at 9pm, where I thought I wouldn't be able to find a room!!!

As it happened I came upon a place called the 'Bunkhouse' where I met a group of people just getting ready to hit the town, I'm afraid it was all downhill from there. I'm surprised that no one broke their necks dancing on the tables at 'Cheekys'.

Once again I met some great people... Have to give a shout out to Emily, Sham, Colin, Terry, Dave and John! ... You guys are too funny.

Started my Saturday morning with a Vodka / Lemonade Brekkie (Thanx Sham) followed by beers on the beach... Ouch... Not quite sure what happened after that, its a bit of a haze, but woke up round 8 pm to get ready to hit the town again for a bar crawl and collect lots of stamps and watch some live bands.

'Cos I felt soooo guilty about being SUCH a waster over the weekend, I decided that I should actually do something of personal value so, once functionality had resumed I booked myself onto a surf lesson (which is this afternoon... Should be interesting) and also being the 'fly by the seat of my pants' kindda gal that I am, I have decided to go to Nimbin tomorrow (for those of you who have never heard of it, you should look it up, it's kind of obvious what I'm gonna be doing there) and then I am going to spend the night in the jungle and climb up Mt Warning... at 3am... to watch the sunrise!!! God I'm tough on myself...

Watch this space for photos...

One Final shout out to Chris.... 'Go On Son', and keep collecting those stamps... I'm way ahead of you.

;o)

Seductive Sawtell

Sawtell has some of the most amazing beaches I have ever seen... May have something to do with the fact that they are deserted most of the time save for a few surfers and sea hawks.

Spent 4 days at Tony's place polishing off his latest brew and chilling out on the beach with the house mates (Kat, Tim, Tony and Mike). Sawtell is funky and quaint just a stones throw from Choffs Harbor with its swanky shops and cafes.

Have to say a huge thanx to them for making me feel so welcome. I had a great time. (Guys if you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods, be sure to look me up).

Heading to Byron Bay next, where I should be hooking up with Dane from Bali...?!

Till then

Monday, August 21, 2006

Peaceful Port

Port Macquarie is B-A-U-Tiful, as are the people. After an amazing journey further up the East Coast of Australia (Newcastle to Port) with Pete and Narelle, I found myself in the scenic town of Port Macquarie.
Pete and Narelle (Terry’s Auntie and Uncle) have an amazing new apartment right on the Canal running up to main Port. I just wanted to say a MASSIVE THANX to them for their warm Ozzy hospitality… They REALLY took me ‘Off the beaten track’ and showed me some breathtaking outback scenery, as well as putting me up in their great waterfront apartment.

I’ll get some photo’s up when I get the chance.

Heading to Tony’s place tomorrow ‘bout 10mins from Coffs Harbor… I was in two minds as to whether I was gonna stop there originally, but the guy is brewing his own beer… first batch exploded… should be interesting, how could I possibly resist!!! ;o)

Watch this space

xx

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Farewell Freinds :o(

So after a rip roaring final night in 'Newy', I say goodbye to all the friends that I have made here, and the McLeod’s... They have been great, and I can't thank them enough.
I should be heading North today with Terry’s Auntie and Uncle to Port Macquarie and hanging out with them for a while, we are stopping off in a few places along the way, including Terry's Nanna in Forster for tea.... should be interesting... so I've been told anyway, a bit like last night.
Went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner with the whole family, then the kidz went out and partied... that includes me to (by the way) it was awesome... you can check out the pics.
That was the second night in a row, after having had dinner with Terry's mum and co the night before, I didn't think that I would be able to handle another night out on the town with 'The Family', but some how I managed to struggle through lol ;o) (you guy's are great)

From Newy

xx

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

It's My Party.... so there!

Ok so I’m still in Newcastle, and it’s the big day today… yeah that’s right… it my BIRTHDAY!!!

Terry’s dad shares the same Birthday as me, so we’re gonna have a double celebration today, in true Ozzy style we’re gonna have a BBQ before we hit town tonight!!!

Newcastle hasn’t got any less random since I last wrote… yesterday I went to the Nature Reserve here and saw some Koalas.. yes!!! And Wombats, and got attacked by Emus… lol. Then last night Terry, Malcolm (Terry’s brother) and I went to Newcastle Uni. Where Terry studies, to watch the final of the Uni Band Competition, and some how I ended up being a judge!!! That meant free drinks all night… I felt rather smug ‘cos it was another experience that I have been blessed with, that money just can’t buy, and that the Lonely (crappy) Planet just can’t recommend, apologies too all the ‘Planet’ worshippers out there!

One word regarding last night… messy!!! I don’t think that I have been that plastered since I was 15! 10 years ago!!! :o/ Good start to the Birthday celebrations I guess… Wonder what will happen tonight… watch this space for the next instalment.

Missing you all heaps

'Sensible Sity'

xx

Monday, August 14, 2006

Nocturnal Newcastle

Terry picked me up from the train station in Newcastle, and it has been pretty much 'go' since then.

People said that there's not that much to get up to in Newcastle, (and to be honest after Sydney, I was quite looking forward to that), but I think that the locals would disagree, by day it maybe rather chilled out, but by night it's a different story altogether!!!

Terry took me to play Bowls... Lawn Bowls... yeah that’s right... I played Lawn Bowls... something I said that I wouldn't do until I retired, if I made it that far. It was good fun and I net some of Terry’s friends. It was also Annett’s (Terry's mum's) birthday so we met her for a drink and some dinner... I thought it was gonna be a quiet family dinner, only to find that Annett's partner coaches the Newcastle Women’s Rugby Team, and they had just won their cup final that day. So we had a couple of drinks with them... The whole rugby team.. and let me tell you that those girls can drink... 2 words... 'shot off'
I also got invited to the 21st party of AJ and Lucy, where I met loads more of Terry's friends who made me feel really welcome.... so thanx guys.

Yesterday I wondered round Newcastle and took in the sites... Newcastle beach is beautiful, and the waves are awesome, apparently some of the best surfing on the South Coast... maybe I'll have to check it out :o/
I also visited Port Stephens really pretty and chilled out.
Gonna try and see some Koalas today at the Newcastle Nature Reserve... will let you know how it goes.

Must give a MASSIVE shout out to the McLeod's for feeding me, and putting me up.. or do I mean putting up with me... hmmm?!

Also have to say Happy Birthday to Richard (Terry's dad), (an awesome cook by the way), who shares the same Birthday as ME!!!

Should be interesting!

;o)

Catch up

Ok so there’s a bit of catching up to do so bear with me....

My last couple of days in Sydney were awesome...

After Katie and Katie left (mates from Thailand) I hung out with 3 lads from Bristol (UK) (Matt, Luke & Neil)... They were pretty much on the same wavelength as me, so you can imagine what we got up to...!!!

Went to a couple of cool bars and pubs and basically did the usual, drinking and some crazy dancing... saw loads of live bands and hung out with some locals... (Thanx Heath for rescuing me).

On my last day I headed down to Bondi for a surf lesson, and I can safely say that I suck... but I'm gonna keep at it, and try and catch some waves further up the east coast. I also managed to catch a play at the Oprah House ('Honour Bound'), I thought that was pretty cool thing to do.

I managed to do all the touristy things, like I have in all the major city's that I have visited... you know how it is. I won't bore you with all the details (you can check out the photos when I get my lazy ass around to putting them up... within the next couple of days), but I think I like Sydney even more than Melbourne, and that’s saying something...

May favourite thing though has got to be the fact that the weather has been awesome, and when we caught the boat back from Manly we were chased by Dolphins... it's crazy, you can pretty much look out to the sea anywhere along the coast and see whales and dolphins!

Anyway my next update will be from Newcastle where I am staying my good friend from Thailand... One of my trekking buddies... Terry!!! (will be sooo good to see him)

xx

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Scintillating Sydney

I love Sydney… (Especially 'Scuba Bar')

It’s awesome, I could stay here for a while, but it’s bloody expensive, so after another couple of days, I’m gonna head north to Newcastle and hang out with my mate form Thailand (who lives in Newcastle) Terry.
Sydney is probably helped by the fact that I have been hanging out with some old friends. When I was checking into my hostel, the lift doors opened and I bumped into 2 friends that I had made in Kho Toa (Thailand), from ‘Master Divers’… One of them even assisted one of my dives… how cool is that.

Anyway I’m hanging out with the 2 Katie’s, a Canadian guy called Andrew, and a Korean girl calls Soom.

We have been to Manly by boat, taking in the tourist sites such as Sydney Harbor Bridge, and the Opera House, and we have spent time hiking around the Blue Mountains. Tomorrow is another day of sightseeing, and getting my act together to head North.
I’m gonna miss Sydney, I have had such a great time here, and I have met some great people too.

I’ll get some photos up when I get he chance

Hope all is well at home

xx

Quiet Canberra

Ok I managed to lift share with a German dude called Peter from Melbourne to Canberra.
We saw some beautiful scenery on the way north and some wildlife too… mainly squashed on the side of the road..?! I can tell you one thing, the bush is scary at night, but we managed to make it Canberra just after dark, and it was beautiful. Saw some awesome sunsets there and hiked around for a couple of days taking in the sites and all that Australia’s Capital has to offer, which to be honest, isn’t very much.
The town was pretty lame, and after a couple of days Pete and I were ready to bust the joint, so we made plans to travel to Sydney together.

Marvelous Melbourne

Melbourne is the kind of place I feel like I could live…

It reminded me a lot of London, very cosmo, but also more spaced out.

I hung out and stayed with my mate Brad (someone I met in Taiwan) for 4 days, and we did some awesome stuff together… The Melbourne film festival was on so we went to watch one of the quirky films that were showing… ‘The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes’, it was pretty good to be honest… very deep… took all my brain power to focus… yeah yeah!
Anyway went to watch ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 2’ as well (nothing to do with the film festival) and did most of the touristy things. It was great ‘cos I had my own personal guide who knows the city well, so I managed to get most things done in a couple of days.
There’s some cool art work going on in Melbourne too, so I tried to get some pics of that.

One night we were walking back to the flat, and were met by a bunch of possums… I think I have a possum sixth sense, ‘cos for some reason they were attracted to me. I’ll get some photos up when I get the chance. Anyway one of the little f’ckers bit me… you’ll be pleased to know that it didn’t draw blood, but it bit me hard enough to realize that I wasn’t a nut…?! :o/ and leave a nice trail of possum saliva on my finger… eeeeewwww

From Melbourne

xx

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Phatties

All the traveling that I have been doing in the South West, has meant taking a lot of buses and coaches, resulting in me visiting quite a few 'service station'... I use the word 'service' very loosely.

After doing an extensive survey of these establishments, I am socked and bewildered as to why the Australian population doesn't suffer with the same rate of obesity as the USA??!!

I mean the only things that are readily available (not only in there 'service stations', but in most 'quick eats' food outlets) seems to be junk food... Fish n' Chips and Pies.

I went into one of these so called 'service' stations and asked for some fruit... 'yes... thats right... fresh fruit... you know, like apples...?'
My response from the confused cashier was... 'we don't have any fresh fruit, we don't have any apples, but we have apple cake'.

Kind of defeats the purpose don't you think...?!

Yours a very unhealthy

Sity

Monday, July 31, 2006

Westside!

The last 3 days have been a bit of a blur to be honest...

I arrived back in Perth with Frank... In one piece after the accident.
Frank has some crazy mates in Perth that he met whilst traveling in Loas... they are from Belgium (Ilan, Landor) and OZ (Reza). I have been staying in their house with them for the past 3 days, and they have been doing their best to look after me, and show me a good time, and I have to admit, that it's been great.

We went to the opening night of a funky new club in Perth, got invited to a birthday party of one of Reza's friend, hung out with and made friends with laods of locals, which is my favorite thing to do and went to a BBQ (in ture Ozzy style) and just chilled out in and around the Perth area. I've really got to know the city quite well.

It was nice having a real home to stay in (and recover) and even though my time hanging out with the guys has been short, (and I wish that I could continue to travel up the West Coast with them), I am going to miss them. Guess I'll have to catch up with them in Europe sometime.

Anyway I'm heading to Melbourne tonight, to start a new adventure... I have managed to talk a hilarious Irish guy to fly to Melbourne this week, (from Perth) and meet me there, and cruise up the East Coast with me... I'm sure it's gonna be a strange, and interesting experince with no doubt about the fact that we are gonna laugh a hell of a lot.

A special shout out has to go to:

Reza for letting me crash at his place in Perth, and making me feel so welcome... Your F'ing 'A' mate
To Frank for hooking me up
To Ilan and Landor for making me laugh so much and
Brad for putting me up in Melbourne... you are a star

From Perth...

xx

Saturday, July 29, 2006

'Tingle' all over

Have been pretty much everywhere on the South-West coast, I can safely say! To name but a few places: Bunbury, Buselton, Bridgetown, Pemberton, Northcliff, Walpole, Denmark, Augusta, Yallingup etc...

My favo0rite places have to be Margeter River and Walpol where I drove and treked (throught the bush) through the Valley of the GIant... The Tingle Forest!

I met a CRAZY dutch guy (Frank)... ('yes', another one!) who invited me to drive with him back up the west coast... so I have politly accepted, ticket re-arrangement permitting.

We'll have to wait until Monday to find out...

Guess I'll give you an update then...?!

p.s. - We were in a car accident ... it was their fault... honest!
Don't worry everyone is fine...

Over and Out
xx

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Pissin' Down Perth

So, so far Oz is just like being at home....

It's freezing and I spent my first day here in hospital!

They couldn't work out what was wrong with me... Surprise surprise, just that I have an eye infection and that I have been badly bitten by "something'' ... lol

Anyway I went shopping, for winter clothes... everyone was looking at me like I was a freak for walking arond in shorts and t-shirts... What did they excpect, I had just landed from a 30 degree Singapore?! Worse than that all the shops were closed when I arrived, so I had to leave my hostel in the morning in shorts and t-shirts too!!!
I managed to take in the sights of Perth on my second day, and head south to Fremantle and Rockingham... I would like to say that the place lives up to it's name, but truth be told.... It doesn't!!!

Anyway... I've headed even further south to Margaret River, which is chilled out and pretty, and plan on hitting the South Coast tomorrow.

Not much else to report except everywhere I have stayed so far, the people have been great!

From Margaret River...

xx

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Spotless Singapore

After spending the night in KL, I left for Singapore... yipee a new country, where apparently they have no mozzies?!
Anyway have been here 3 days now, and leave for Australia (Perth) tomorrow morning.... You'll be pleased to hear that I am fully recovered from my ear infection and jelly fish stings... only to have contracted an eye infection, and tens of bed bug bites... mmmm. lovely. It's official, I'm one big walking disaster at the moment. Am really looking forward to getting to a western country although I fear that the bugs over there will love me just as the ones in Asia!?!
Singapore has been fun, I am staying right in the heart of Little India, it reminds me of Sounthall.. lol.. Maybe I'll try and find my sis a nice husband here?! ;o)
I've visited China Town, which was crazy, Sentosa Island, The Aquarium there, and Singapore Zoo, which was really interesting, no cages, so that was nice! I've put a few photos up for you guys to take a look at.
Went to 'Ministry Of Sound' Singapore last night... it was awesome!
Don't exacaly know what I am going to do in Perth, but I have a long flight to figure it out on.
Guess the next time I make contact will be from a different continent... ohhh how exciting...

Catch ya later

xx

Sunday, July 16, 2006

I Love Bali

Ok so back to civilisation... God I wanted to kiss the ground when I arrived here... after Borneo Bali seems like heaven... Its beautiful and swanky and the people are amazing.
I know, what can I say, I am a city girl, you can take the girl out of the city... but....
Anyway Kuta is great and after arriving at 9pm, I headed straight out with Kent, a friend that I made on the plan! We hit the town hard, and partied until the wee hours of the morning. I couln't sleep in late, so I decided to explore, and headed to Bali's cultural capital Ubud. It was great, and I just chilled out there for a while, before booking my trip to the Gili's, and having another wild night out... didn't get backl to my hostel (which is amazing by the way) until 5.45am and I was being picked up for the Gili's at 6am... Thus resulting in another 48 hours stint without sleep, which hopefully I will end tonight, but anything can happen, you know me!?
Unfortuantly I have developed a cold, and I feel the tingle of ear infection coming on, bar the fact that I felt like my head was going to explode on both my flights, so... No diving for a bit.. which sucks! :o(
Anyway to my utter disbelife I bumped into Dominic at a nightclub in Kuta (Dom is one of the guys I trekked with in Pai) It was soooo nice to see him after such a long time, so we hung out togethjer for a while... I should be seeing him again in Bali before I leave, so that will be nice!
Visited Lombok today too so have been pretty busy.
Not much else to say really except the Gili's are beautiful and chilled out and the people here are the friendliest I have met so far, should just be hanging out on the beach tomorrow with the gang that I met on the way over here. Went snorkling today and saw a turtle, as well as lots of jelly fish... not plesant, but they sure kept me on my toes! Am currently recovering from couple of stings!
From The Gili's...
xx

Saturday, July 15, 2006

"Where are you from?!"

Ok , so, this happens soooo often that I thought it deserved a whole blogg entry to itself!!!

So I’m sure that I have mentioned before that I always get asked where I am from, and things haven’t really changed much over the past 3 months (from India to Indonesia). More some unknown reason Asians are intrigued about my nationality and more to the point my ethnicity… So much so that it drives even the most shy and retiring of people, such as monks to approach me in the street and strike up a conversation with me.
Don’t get me wrong I love it, I speak to more locals than most because of it, and its great. The point is, that when someone asks me where I am from and I reply London… they give me funny look as to say ‘Are you sure about that young lady’ often accompanied by a look of total bewilderment (what they really wanna know, is what my ethnic origin is, and that leads on to me explaining how I was ACTUALLY born in the UK… “No really, I was!”. I put it down to the fact that most of these people have never left home, and they just assume that all white people are either from the UK if they are arrogant and drunk, Oz if they are quirky and USA if they are loud and obnoxious, all Black people are from Africa, and all brown peopl are from India!!! (No offence intended).
It was however taken to a whole new level today when a passer by greeted me (as strangers often do in Asia) with “hello” followed by “Do you speak English”… lol
I just giggled and walked on.

p.s. – I love Bali

;o)

xx

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Sepilok Sanctuary

Borneo has got to be the hardest place I have visited by far!!!
I'm leaving tomorrow for Bali, and I can't wait.
The place is beautiful and the people are nice, but the language barrier, and probably the lack of alcohol and foriegners makes life pretty difficult!
I left the Orangutan Sanctuary in Sepilok this morning after spending 2 nights there and spying on 'The Man of the Jungle' for a couple of days. Sepilok was beautiful, and peaceful (my sanctuary from Sabha), and I met some nice people there, it was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, especially when everyone is trying to rip you off, even though you know better.
I spent a full day traveling from Semporna to Sandakan, it was a roller coaster ride involving 5 bus journeys, and a flat tyer. I'll upload some photos when I get a faster connection, just thought I would check in 'cos I'm not sure where I am going to be for the next couple of days.
Guess the next time you will hear from me will be from Bali... (Oh forgot to mension decided to take another detoure to Indonisia... lol)
Catch ya later
xx

Monday, July 10, 2006

Sipadan-tastic

After being awake for 38hrs solid I was feeling rather sorry for myself yesterday, especially after arriving in Semporna (Borneo) at 3pm in the afternoon, only to find out that the whole place was deserted during the day either because it is too hot, or all the cool people are out diving?!
I’d spent the night in KL and didn’t bother getting a room ‘cos I would have had to check out at 3am to catch my flight to Borneo, so in true Sity style I stayed out all night... Hung out in a bar in KL with a cool Brit that I met called Lee... (I know... British and cool... what are the odds?!), thus feeling exhausted and maybe even a little bit home sick the following day?!
Anyway Semporna felt like the end of the world… I mean literally, if the world was flat, Semporna would be at the edge, I tried to get a permit to dive on Sipadan Island, only to find out that the reservation I had made had not gone trough (the icing on my cake)!!!
I checked into a really nice hostel (Dragon Inn) which is built on stilts in the ocean, where I met a gal called Kelly who hooked me up with a permit thus allowing me to make 3 dives in the ‘Worlds Best Dive Site’ today!!! Hooray!
Anyway I saw sharks and turtles… tens of them (among other things), so I’m a happy girl again!
Should be heading to Sipolok tomorrow to the Orangutan Sanctuary, if I ever manage to get out of this place alive, it’s a ghost town during the day, and a cattle market at night… Guess you’ll find out in the next blogg!

Yours a very dubious Sity
xx

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Cameron Home-Lands

After taking the Jungle Railway South to Jarantut, I made my way to Taman Nagara National Park, where I did my toughest trekking yet. Ventured across the canopy walkway, which was scary but exciting at the same time! Spent the night there at headed for the Cameron Highlands the following morning for a couple of days, before heading to KL. Stayed at a chilled out place called Brothers. It was nice in the Highlands, the climate was just like at home, sunny and cool, had to sleep with 2 blankets!!!
Anyway did a half day tour there where we visited a Temple (another one), a honey farm, the biggest flower centre in the Highlands, a strawberry farm, a butterfly park, (where I man-handled a scorpion) and the Boe Tea Plantation which was amazing.... Acers and Acers of tea plants… sorry for stating the obvious! lol
The bus journey from The Cameron Highlands to KL was breathtaking… Took a road that snaked through the central mountain range of Malaysia and then dense jungle as far as the eye could see! Nothing but the road, the jungle and us! I must have seen at least 14 waterfalls!!! I love the local bus!
Anyway I had the bright idea of taking a bit of a detoured from my travel itinerary and head somewhere different so am currently in Borneo… fly by the seat of my pants or what!
Not quite sure what I am doing here, apart from some more diving... apparently the best diving in the world... Guess we'll have to wait and see considering I'm still waiting for a diving permit!!!
Will keep you posted.
xx

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Ship Wrecked

I’ve been hanging out in the Perhentian Islands for the past week or so, its sooooo easy to get stuck in that place… It’s beautiful!!!
Spent about 24 hours traveling from Thailand into Malaysia… weird experience crossing the boarder by foot… could have been a little intimidating except for the fact that I had 2 crazy guys keeping me company… Once again, I met them in Chumphon!!!
After a hair raising speed boat trip we arrived on Long Beach, and checked in to the 5 star ‘Rock Bottom’, oh sorry… ‘Rock Garden’ Hostel…
The beach, the weather and the company was great, so great in fact that I ended up getting stuck there for 3 extra days!
The boys and me. (Kent & Jamon) did some diving together, my first wreck dive, and some swim troughs? It was pretty tough but a great experience. I’m glad that the others were there with me, it makes it a lot easier, when you know the other people that you are diving with. As you can see from the photos (which I will put up when I get a better connection), me and the lads got pretty close, and had the best time together (mainly at Palm Tree’s), we became quite well known on the island… not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing?! :o/ Hopefully I’ll see them again soon…?!

A few shout outs…

Shame-on (Jamon) ‘Get out of bed you lazy animal’
Kent – Save up enough cash and haul your backside to Canada
Dave – Keep Jammin’ & eating Roti’s sweetie

I’m off trekking in the jungles of Taman Negara for the next few days, so I guess I’ll be in touch when I get back to civilization…

From Kota Bharu… Over and Out

xx

p.s. - 2 words for you.... 'Monkey Juice' ;o)

Monday, June 26, 2006

Goodbye Old Friend

Today I leave Koh Toa!

I leave behind the 'Master Divers' Gang and 'The Simple Life' for a new start in a new country.
I'm heading south into Malaysia on on an overnight train that should see me across the Thai, Malaysian boarder just before my visa expires.

I'll be sad to say goodbye to Thailand and all the amazing people that I have met here, (I'll miss you guys a lot) but the more I travel the more I come to realise that the world is a small place. Hopefully I'll be catching up with some people again along my way.

I'm hoping that Malaysia will bring about a change for me, after the past 3 nights in Koh Toa and the football, not to mention the past 2 months as a whole, I'm ready for a deitox, and I hear that Malaysia is the place to do it (It being a Muslim country and all), and 'No', I am not going to stock up on booze at the boarder, no matter how cheap you tell me it is! lol

Final Regards from Thailand
xx

Monday, June 19, 2006

Ko Pang-BANG!

Hey Hey

So arrived in Ko Pnagnag yesterday after a very rocky boat ride from Ko Samui. Met Joel on the boat , a hilarious English guy who put me up for the night... (Thanx Joel)
Hang out with him and his gang of wonderful friends for a couple of nights before heading to see Barry in Ban Tai.
Hat Rin was crazy, one word... Buckets!!!

Got locked out of the room and decided that I would break in, G.I. Jane style! Fell off the balcony from about 15 feet... not nice, only to find that we had the key all along... muppet! Have messed my back up pretty bad... Gonna power through the pain though.. Chang helps.
If it doesn't get better maybe I'll visit the hospital in a few days, but I guess we will have to wait and see.

Wanted to say a big thanx to everyone I met in Hat Rin, you made my time there 'memorable' to say the least.
Make sure you check out the pics, I know there is only one descent one, but at least we are all in it.

Stay safe. and all those who are wounded in action, hope you get better soon

xx

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Ko Samoooooie

Arrived in Ko Samui yesterday to find that the place was pretty much deserted... May have had something to do with the fact that the football was on...

Got chatting to a couple of English lads... Sam and Pete in a bar... I know, it sounds like I picked them up?! :o/

Well to be honest I kind of did, we watched the game and then went out on the town, to find that by 11pm the place was packed... Christ this is supposed to be low season. Anyway we parted the night away (making shed loads of Thai pals - you can see them in the photos) and woke up early this morning to explore the island!

The boy's got some bikes and we drove round for a while, went to see yet another Big Buddha, and also the crocodile sanctuary! It was a hair raising experience I can tell you.
The guy taming the Crocks was loon!

You can see him in the photos.

I'm leaving for Ko Phangang today where I should be catching up with Barry, the crazy Dutch guy from India... should be a hoot!

Guess I'' write from there

xx

Thursday, June 15, 2006

On On

Spent an interesting night in Phuket I can tell you!

The town was deserted but I managed to find someone almost as crazy as me to hang out with... yeah I know difficult to believe, but Kyal (the only other traveler in town) gave me a run for my money.
Stayed at the On On Guesthouse where some of 'The Beach' was filmed, that was an eerie experience, but nothing really mattered after a bottle of Samnsung!!!

In Phang-nga at them moment, just stopping off before heading to Ko Samui. Will probably do a day trip to 'James Bond Island' while I am hear, then who knows...

Catch ya later

xx

1/5

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

2 Tears in Bucket

Sick Sity is all I can say....

The last 3 days have been a bit of a blur to be honest... I guess Phi Phi has that effect on you. As you may have already guessed, I still have not managed to leave the island... or as I like to call it, check out of 'Hotel California'. This I must explain is due to a number of reasons including an Allergic Reaction to washing powder, Travel Sickness, Food Poisoning and being attacked by a swarm of mosquito's!!! (I have not been a happy Sity, I can tell you)
But in truth it probably has something to do with all the awesome people that I have met here... you know who you are!

Must give a special shout out to Serj who looked out for me and didn't ditch me even though I was being a miserable cow.

Anyway I have my bags packed and am ready to go, so all being well, I should be off Phi Phi this afternoon heading for Phuket... (Watch this space!)

Thanks to everyone on Phi Phi for making my stay so great... Maybe our paths will cross some time again in the future.... If I ever get off this island... (Maybe I shouldn't speak too soon) ;o)

Take it easy

xx

0/4

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Phi Phi

Arrived on the most beautiful island so far...

Phi Phi is amazing, it was hit by the Tsunami but the work that has been done since to restore it has been awesome.

Thankfully not much of the coral or sea life was damage so I had the most awesome day diving yesterday!

Did a couple of dives where we got to see a massive variety of different sea inhabitants, the highlight being 2 sea turtles and 2 leopard sharks!
I was blown away!!!

We also went rock climbing and cliff jumping, and visited ‘The Beach’ beach!!!
And went to Monkey bay and fed the monkeys… All in all it was an awesome experience.

I wasn’t feeling too great on the boat, and put it down to feeling sea sick, but it may have had something to do with the fact that I got in at 7am in the morning from an ‘interesting’ night out on Phi Phi Don. Met some crazy English guys that came on the boat trip with us (Josh and Charlie) and a cool couple that I have been hanging out with (Connor and Linda) also have been hanging out with 3 gap year students (Axi, Dom and Chang)… Never a dull moment.

Watching the match tonight in Phi Phi and then heading to Phuket tomorrow.

Will try and put some photos up now…

Catch ya later
xx

Bed Supper

So We spent another night in Bangkok on our way back down to the Islands, didn't really want to, but it was Jason's (My current travel buddy) Birthday. It was a crazy night and we hid Ko Shan Road for a while and listened to the most awesome live band, before heading out to the famous ‘Bed Supper Club’.

There was a group of us and none of realized that we would need ID to get in, but with a little polite persuasion and a lot of flattery I managed to get all of us in and avoid paying the cover charge… you know me?! ;o)

I can now safely say that I am trough with Bangkok

xx

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Kicking Kunchanaburi

After a 3 hour drive from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, and having a tiff with our mini bus driver which almost resulted in Jason getting run over, we arrived safe and sound at the 'Jolly Frog Hostel'... wow, that's all I can say. The place was awesome.. I'll put the photos up of the views from our room when I get the chance, but basically it was in the most beautiful setting, it was chilled out, the food was amazing, and the staff were super friendly.

We visited the Tiger Temple on our first day, which is basically a Tiger sanctuary in the middle of nowhere, where Buddhist Monks keep tigers as pets?!

The pics explain it all!!!

On the second day we went on a tour with a few cool people that we met, visiting a number of fascinating places including a beautiful waterfall, the Death Railway, Hell Fire Pass and one of the bridges across The River Kwai.

Headed to Bangkok this morning on my way back down to the islands, where I guess I'll give you my next update from..

Till then... Take it easy kidz

xx

Jeep Jeep Jeep

So after another wild night out in Chiang Mai we decided to spend our final day there at the National Park about 2 hours outside of town.

Me, Jason and Terry hired a jeep and decided we drive there and around the park...
We met a couple of crazy Thai girls the night before who decided that they would also like to join us, so completely zombied out the 5 of us made our way to the park, and enjoyed a full day there (in the sunshine) driving around and "appreciating" the scenery and beautiful waterfalls.

Those girls were crazy I tell ya!

We made our way back trough torrential rain and had to wade through what used to be the road to our hostel, (but looked like a river instead), before we headed to Kanchanaburi

xx

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Perfect Pai

Out of all the places that I have been to so far I have to admit that Pai is my favorite.
Its really chilled out with some awesome bars and great people.

Went Trekking again for 2 days with the nicest trek guide you could ever imagine (Mam).
She taught us loads of cool stuff like how to make cups and chopstick from bamboo, and live off stuff that we found in the jungle.

We stayed in a little mountain village, where we helped to cook our own food, and drank the local whiskey, as well as taste some of the jungle vegetation (that you can't buy in the shops... if you know what I mean)

We visited the sweet shop (which was completely random), went to a beautiful waterfall which we climbed down and explored some caves. All in all it was amazing.

Really bonded with my trek buddies and guide so we all decided to go out on the town together.... Best not talk about that too much, but lets put it this was we didn't make it back to our hostels till around 8am!!!

Back in Chiang Mai at the moment after a very bumpy bus journey back.

Did the visa run to Burma to get my Thai visa renewed, that was interesting... At least I can say that I have been to Burma now, even if it was only for 20mins!

Heading back to Bangkok tomorrow night, hopefully after visiting the National Park an hour away from here.

Guess I'll give you an update when I get there

From Chiang Mai

xxx

0/2

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Keep in touch

Hey you all out there that I have met in Thailand so far...

I'm tryin' to stay in touch, but its pretty difficult whan I have the incorrect email address passed on to me.

It's great that you are checking the website, but if you can mail me I can write to you personally.
There is a link to my hotmail account to the left of this blogg, but just in case, its

sity@hotmail.com

p.s. - I have tried emailing some of you a couple of times, but it fails, so sorry.

p.p.s. - As soon as I get a good internet connection, I promise I'll put the photos up

xx

Friday, May 26, 2006

Spirited Chiang Mai

I have had the most awesome time in Chiang Mai, the city is great, just like the people in it.
On my first day here I walked around the city and took in all the sites. I kept being stopped by the locals for a chat as they were curious as to where I was from, I even got stopped by a monk who took me to a Wat where we prayed together.... how awesome is that?!!!

I haven't updated you for a bit 'cos I have also beet trekking through the jungle, and then enrolled on a Thai cooking course for a day... I'm telling you I've never done anything like it... No, not cooking, I was referring to the trekking!

I'll get some photos up when I get a good enough connection.

Meet some really great people, and we got to know eachother pretty well, after spending a couple of days out in the jungle together... Hoping that we will all manage to keep in touch, (If any of you are reading this, just wanted to thankyou for making my trek so great)

Heading to Pai tomorrow and then probably Burma for a visa run :o/ will let you know what the plan is from there..

Hope you are all well

Take it easy
xx

Chiang Chang

Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang, Chang Chang Chang
Chiang
Chang Chang Chang, Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang
Chang Chang Chang
Chiang - Chang Chang Chang
Chang Chang Chang
Chang Chang Chang
Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang
Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang Chang
Chiang

xxx

Monday, May 22, 2006

Bangkok

After the bumpiest boat ride ever followed by an 8 hour coach journey, we finally made it to Bangkok.

We arrived pretty early in the morning so the place was quite tame, it was another story by 11 am I'm telling you!

We arrived on a pretty good day (apparently :o/ ) and managed to get a tuk tuk driver to cart me and my 2 friends round the city for 4 hours for 30 bart that's like 50p!!!

It was awesome, saw lots of sites and it was the best way to travel, went out for dinner last night and then went out and partied till around 6am this morning... Not feeling too hot at the moment, and once again drank way too many 'Big Changs'... lol... but am getting ready for another pretty long overnight journey into Northern Thailand. Made friends with a group of Thai girls... will put some photos up when I next get the chance.

Not quite sure where I'll be heading in the north but will update you when I do.

Take Care

Thursday, May 18, 2006

2 Big Chang's and a packet of Oreo's

The title of this blogg refers to my diet over the past 7 days.

Probably less of the Oreos, and more of the Changs!!!

Finally got my act together and have made a plan to leave Ko Tao and head off the Bangkok on Saturday.

Not sure where exactly I go from there, but have picked up a new travel buddy so we'll have to see what we both want to do.

Ko Tao has been great and I have met some really cool people here who I am going to miss a lot.
Got a cool DVD of some of the Scuba Diving that I got up to and the people that I have met, so I guess you'll get to see that when I get back.

Hope all is well with you guys,

Guess the next time you will hear from me will be from somewhere in the North of Thailand.

Till then... keep it real
xx

Monday, May 15, 2006

'Ooh La La'

Well what can I say...

I know I have been off the radar for a while, but this place makes you forget... 'Hotel California' springs to mind.

Currently on a little Island called Ko Tao just off the east coast of southern Thailand.

What have I been up to...?

Signed up to do my 'Open Water' with my very hot diving instructor ;o) ... (Happened to pass with flying colours don't you know), and hit the Full Moon Party, it was an experience lets put it that way. Lost my shoes, and my mind!

Not sure how long I am going to end up staying here for, already 4 days over schedule, so we'll have to wait and see. Have met some awesome people, so have just been hanging out with them.

Guess I'll give you more of an update after I have finished getting my act together and have made a bit of a plan.

Till then
xx

Saturday, May 06, 2006

'Hai' Hong Kong

After spending just over a week in Hong Kong we say goodbye tomorrow.

The last couple of days have been great. We really got to know the city quite well and spent some time exploring the more remote parts of 'Hong Kong Island', 'Kowloon' (I visited Kowloon park), 'The New Territories' and even the 'Outter Laying Islands'. We went to the bun festival on Lantau and even though the bun parade was more of a bun blowout than a parade... (no pun intended)... it was a good festive experience... Hanging out with the locals... lol.

I went to a place called Kadoori Farm yesterday and hiked for about 4 hours... hiked... me!!!
It was a complete accident... the place was sooo beautiful, and there were sooo many things to see, that time just ran away from me.

I'll be leaving Hong Kong tomorrow satisfied with the thought that I have made the most of my time here.... Really looking forward to Thailand... Guess that's where you will hear from me next..

Till then...

xx

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Hectic Hong Kong

So,

After a short hop across the water, Matt and I found ourselves in Hong Kong... I'm afraid it was a case of feeling bit much like a 'Rabbit in the headlights'. Even after Bombay, nothing could have prepared us of this place. Its manic, and there are shops selling everything you can imagine covering every inch of the city. Housing is cramped (high-rise... very, very high-rise) and you would have trouble swinging a dead cat around our shared dorm room, but everything else seems to fit perfectly, they even managed to make space for parks in the heart of the city.

We spent our first couple of days site seeing and getting to know the city. Hung out with Brad for a while... (Australian that we met at out Taiwan hostel... nice guy) and went to watch Mission Impossible 3!!! ('No', my Cantonese hasn't improved that much, it was in English).

We've come at a really good time actually, it's festival week, so there's lots of stuff going on in and around Hong Kong... Its Bun Festival this week (A traditional festival to help keep the bad spirits and pirates away). There will be some parades and a bun climbing tournament. (Lots of people climbing up a bun tower to see who can get the highest bun... and 'no' I will not be participating... have enough trouble with my own buns, let alone anyone else's... ;o)

Anyway guess I'll give you an update when I can get to a terminal next... Have managed to put some photos up, so you should check them out...

(There's a special one in there for you Nikki, you'll know it when you see it...)

From Hong Kong

xx

Saturday, April 29, 2006

A day of firsts

So... we left Sun Moon Lake and traveled back trough the central mountain peaks of Taiwan to Taipei, where we caught our train connection to Hualien City on the east coast of Taiwan. The train followed the coast all the way so the views were once again amazing.

We spent the night in Hualien City before setting off early to Toroko National Park. We found our hostel right in the heart of Toroko Gorge and settled in before heading out to explore our new surroundings. We hiked for about 4k accidentally taking a ‘path’ (and I use the term ‘path’ very loosely) up the mountain side and through the jungle before reaching Torokos Natural Hot Spring at 40 degrees it was steaming and we clambered down the hillside to get to it, after a quick soak (my first in a natural spa) we headed up the mountain again, so visit the temple and then back to the hostel to chill out for a bit. Whilst hangin’ around we felt a distant rumble at then the whole hostel building shook, upon enquiring we found out that we had just experienced our first Earthquake… yeah that’s right… EARTHQUAKE!!!

Back in Taipei again for our last night, before we head to Hong Kong, guess you’ll hear from me when I get there

From Taiwan

xxx

Thursday, April 27, 2006

'I didn't know that's what it was for?!'

So....

We left the bright lights of Taipie for a peaceful and luxaurias bus journey along the west coast and central peaks of Taiwan to Puli's, 'Sun Moon Lake'. It is a beautiful scenic area slap bang in the heart of Taiwan. Unfortunatly for us Taiwan experiences tropical climate and with that comes tropical rain, Our hike around the lake was amazing... amazingly wet! However we found an awesome room for the night in fantastic hotel! The owners were a lovely middle aged Taiwanese couple who didn't speak a word of English, but just smiled and nodded at everything we said!
This put us in a slightly tricky situation, when we aked them if the provided a laundy service, communicating as best we could with a basic phrase book, we worked out that if we washed our own clotes, that the hotel would dry them for us, what we didn't realise was what they actually meant was that they would hang the clothes out to dry for us... due to the rain this plane turned out to be rather flawed, and subsequently Matt and I spent the rest of our evening Blow Drying our clothes, with the hairdryer!!!

hmmm... slow but effective!

xxx

Monday, April 24, 2006

Mission Impossible

I forgot to mension…

Whilst spending my last couple of hours in India, I thought I would put my time to good use so, at Mumbai Airport, I went about trying to seek out a suitable husband for my younger sister, as older sibling, I thought it my duty…

As you can see from the photo, there was quite a lot of interest, but I managed to whittle it down to the final lucky handful… what do you think Pritz…?

;o)

xxx

‘Transfixing Taipie’

Taipie is big, and beautiful…
We had a full day of site seeing today, and when I get the chance, I’ll get the photos up. We did all the usual touristy stuff even though it was raining pretty heavy most of the morning. 3 weeks without a drop and this morning we must have had a years worth!!!

They say that the Taiwanese are really friendly people, and they are not wrong. Lots of people stopped and asked us if we needed help finding places, when we looked a little lost, and everyone seemed to be concerned about me being out in the rain without an umbrella, so much so, that at Langshan Temple one of the security guards gave me a brand new umbrella!!! You wouldn’t get that kind of treatment in London!

Anyway got another day in Taipie, then we head down the west coast, will try and give you updates whenever possible…

From Taiwan

Xxx

‘What day is it?!’

After a grueling 36 hr trip from Benaulim to Margoa to Mumbai to Bangkok to Hong Kong and finally to our destination airport Taipei only to find that our luggage hadn’t!!!

Whilst filling out the lost luggage forms we were told that one bag had been located but they couldn’t tell us who’s, and that they were trying to track down the other one… nice… it seemed as though someone had forgotten to transfer our bags from the Bangkok flight to the Hong Kong flight… woops!

It turned out that they had in fact been put on the next flight, which landed 20mins later, so we were actually reunited with them whilst still in the airport… phew!
After 36 hrs of straight traveling, I needed to change.

We made our way to our hostel, but after searching for an hour we decided to catch a taxi, we got in and explained to the cab driver where we wanted to go thinking that he was just tentatively listening, when her responded we realized he didn’t speak a word of English, nor could he understand it, (that explains the blank expression) and we ended up having to get out of the taxi and resume our search by foot… we did eventually find it, and it turned out to be a nice place, as you can imagine, we slept well.

xx

Thursday, April 20, 2006

'Sticky Business'

Had another run in with the postal service today...
Wanted to post a book back home and found once again after spending 260 rupees on stamps, that none of them would stick!!!! The post Office did not supply tape, but they did however have glue, or that's what they called it anyway, which apart from make the stamps soggy and not taste very nice, did nothing else! I had a blanket of stamps on the envelop that wouldn't stay put, so I had to go and purchase some cellotape from the shop next door to stick them all down... took a while, but I got there... Check out the photo, to see what I mean.

p.s. - Ther's also a phot of us and our landlord from Palolem, and a picture of one of our new neighbours and our early morning wake up call who, was a little camera shy.

:o/

xx

'Hot Water Burn Baby'

Last night at dinner we were approached by a young Indian man, very well spoken, not so well dressed, he started asking us about what country we were from, and then the area we lived in in the UK, after speaking to some of the locals of the next table, it became apparent that the guy was almost like the character Dustin Hoffman played in the 'Rainman'. He could speak 11 different languages and he knew all the postcodes for all the areas and boroughs in the UK and probably a lot more countries than I cared to ask about?!!! The guy had never been to school 'cos he came from a very poor background, and had taught himself everything he needed to know from speaking to tourists & reading books (and then some)! I was gob-smacked. Anyone that has seen the film will know what I mean by the title of this blog, and if you haven't seen it, then you should!

;o)

xxx

Breathtaking

So yesterday we said farewell to Palolem & our lovely chilled out landlord Rupesh... (Our home for the past 9 days). We took the bus from Palolem through the Goan hill sides to Benaulim, just South of Colva. The route was awe-inspiring. I wish I could have taken a decent photo of the views that we saw (the bus was going to fast) because words cant describe how beautiful it was. India is surprisingly green and fertile, so much so that Water Buffalo can live as far in land as Margoa?! Television just doesn't do it justice.
We me a couple yesterday that warned us about saying in Colva itself and after doing a day trip there today, we realised why. Its pretty busy and was pretty much tailored to the Indian holiday making family... Not really our scene. Benaulim on the other hand is a lot calmer, with a few really nice restaurants and a secluded beach. We found somewhere nice to stay so have settled in for the next 2 days before heading back to Mombay.

xx

Monday, April 17, 2006

Cockroach in my pants

The driving force behind me adding another blog entry and the most exciting thing to have happened to me in Palolem.... This morning whilst rummaging through my backpack, trying to find a t-shirt I felt a little tickle against my leg, just around the rim of my short, shorts... I gave to obligatory brush, (as I am sooo used to doing now, seeing as how much the mozzies love me), to find that I had brushed a cockroach from my leg onto the floor.... eeeewwwwww.... Nice... Not!

It scurried under the bed, where I left it?! :o/

Just thought I'd share that with you.

Anyway to give you a quick update, we were going to head further south to a place called Gokarna but decided that the further we go the longer our journey back to Mombay is going to be, so we we're gonna stay in Palolem for another couple of nights and then head north to Colva, spend maybe 3 nights there and then start our journey to Taiwan, via Bombay, Bang Kok and Hong Kong!!!

Its going to be busy in Taiwan, we only have a week and there's sooooo much we want to do. I'll try and get online when I can, but I'm not sure when that will be, so you'll have to watch this space...

Take it easy

xx