Joe & Jen Trek The Globe

25 Things To Do Before You Die...

2009-08-14T08:05:00.007+01:00

- Ride the Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls, Canada
- Marvel at downtown Manhattan from the Empire State Building, New York, USA
- Trek in the Canadian Rockies, Canada
- Tandem cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, USA
- Stay up all night in the casinos, Las Vegas, USA
- Visit the spectacular Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
- Sail the Floating Islands and overnight on Isla Amantani, Lake Titicaca, Peru
- Complete a four day trek to the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru
- Stare in wonder at the Iguassu Falls, Argentina/Brazil
- Sing with the locals at a Boca Juniors football match, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Sample the amazing bife de lomo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Cycle the Ruta de Siete Lagos, Northern Patagonia, Argentina
- Make an overnight stop in a mountain refugio, Bariloche, Argentina
- Jump from a plane at 15,000 feet, Lake Taupo, New Zealand
- Climb the volcanic Mount Tongariro, Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
- Don crampons and trek up a glacier, Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
- Kayak through the tranquil waters of Doubtful Sound, New Zealand
- Drive the 243km of the Great Ocean Road, Australia
- Surf and swim with dolphins, Noosa Heads, Australia
- Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
- Qualify as an advanced open water diver, Perhentian Islands, Malaysia
- Ride on the back of an elephant, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Spend a night in a traditional Hmong village, Luang Prabang, Laos
- Sail a junk ship through the limestone karsts of Halong Bay, Vietnam
- Explore the ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat, Cambodia

NOT A BAD YEAR THEN!

Bangkok

2009-08-14T07:56:00.003+01:00

The journey to Bangkok from Siem Reap was the last and one of the worst bus trips of the year! However, we had booked a really nice guest house and were soon clean, well fed, and relaxed.

We spent five days in Bangkok in all, and tried to keep ourselves busy with comforts such as great Thai food, luxury shopping, Thai massages, and trips to the cinema! By this stage of our trip (the last five days of 365) we weren't too interested in any more sightseeing, such as visits to palaces or temples!

We are now really looking forward to coming home and seeing all of our friends and family... just one more twelve hour flight and we will be home!

Siem Reap & Angkor Wat

2009-08-11T17:23:00.003+01:00

On our journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh we travelled through lots of interesting small villages and lush countryside, a nice distraction on yet another six hour bus ride. We were feeling pretty exhausted from a hectic last week, so we decided on an early night and a long lie in the next morning.

After a reasonably lazy start to our first day in Siem Reap (sleeping and eating), we organised for a tuk-tuk driver to take us to Bakheng Hill so that we could watch the sunset over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately, a heavy rainstorm denied us of a good sunset, but the lack of crowds did ensure that we got a peaceful first glimpse of Angkor Wat. We were both looking forward to fully exploring the temples the next day.

It was a 4am wake up call the next day in order to make it to Angkor Wat in time for sunrise. Bleary eyed and a little groggy, we stumbled through the temple grounds in the dark and ordered a coffee and a chair in prime position for the famous sunrise. Unfortunately the sunrise didn't quite deliver, but we still managed to shoot over fifty pictures - see above for the pick of the bunch.

At around 7am we began to explore inside the huge temple itself. It was at this point that we realised just how incredible this place was - it is definitely up there with Machu Picchu, Iguassu Falls, and the Grand Canyon! It took us over two hours to have a good look around the grounds and marvel at the incredible architecture and detailed carvings. It is amazing to think that this place was built in the early 12th century!

After a much needed breakfast it was time to move on to Bayon Temple, which is situated just inside the ancient city walls of Angkor Thom. We both really liked this temple; it has over 200 massive faces sculpted into it's towers (see above).

It was a day of many temples, which also included Chao Say, Thommanon, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, and Srah Srang. Of these smaller temples the overgrown jungle temple of Ta Prohm was our favourite. There were many huge trees and roots entangled within the ruins - it was really spectacular and quite different from the other temples!

It was only midday when we arrived back to our hotel in Siem Reap, but after eight hours at the temples it was definitely time to go back to bed! Overall, we had had a great day at the temples, which lived up to our high expectations and will certainly feature in our 'top five of the year'!

We had one more day in Siem Reap so we took the opportunity to relax, visit the night market, and go for some good food. Next stop...Bangkok - our final stop of the year!

Phnom Penh

2009-08-06T13:40:00.003+01:00

Two more bus journeys left! Another really long bus journey and a relatively successful border crossing brought us into the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. This was to be a short stop before making our way north to Siem Reap, but we wanted at least a day to sample the notoriously good food and see the sights.

On our first evening we had our first of two brilliant meals in Phnom Penh. We ate at Friends, a charity restaurant run by former street kids. The food was served tapas style, but was Asian in nature and included curry, sti-fry, meat balls, sweet potato chips, and rice - it was so good we were forced into having one of their brilliant desserts too!

On our one and only day in Phnom Penh we decided to learn a bit more about the communist Pol Pot regime and the Cambodian Genocide of the late 70's. We hired a tuk tuk driver for the day and set out for S-21, the Genocide Museum. Visiting the former prison wasn't a very nice experience, but the museum was excellent in it's ability to explain the atrocities that happened, right down to the horrific gory details.

Visiting the Choeung Ek Killing Fields (where over 17,000 people were executed) was even harder to stomach. It was quite an upsetting experience, but we were glad that we visited and were able to learn so much about these devastating events that took place only thirty years ago.

Back in Phnom Penh we ended our brief stop with another great meal. Next stop...Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor!

Mekong Delta

2009-08-06T13:35:00.004+01:00

It was a four hour bus journey from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho, where we boarded a boat and began our tour of the Mekong Delta. A few facts about the Mekong River; it is 4,350km in length, it's the 10th longest river in the world, and it flows through six countries including China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, where it meets the South China Sea.

After changing to a smaller boat and rafting through the mangroves, we stopped at a coconut candy mill where we learnt how the locals made the delicious sweets. We then had the chance to sample a fresh batch of coconut and peanut candy. We couldn't help but buy some - it was seriously good stuff!

After lunch we made another stop at a different island, where we enjoyed some exotic local fruits whilst listening to the (terrible) performance of traditional Mekong music - think cats in a sack! Our next stop was for a lovely cup of honey tea at a bee farm, where we also had the opportunity to taste some of the local spirits and bar snacks - the lotus seeds were our favourite!

We then made our way back to My Tho before boarding the bus to Can Tho, where we would be staying overnight. The following day we were up at 6am in order to be on the river and get to the famous floating markets whilst they were still in full flow. We still probably arrived a little late. However, it was still quite a sight to see so many different goods all being traded boat to boat.

We thought we should contribute so we bought a 'donut' from the lady pictured below.

After visiting two floating markets, we made a brief stop at the house of a family who are famous in the area for their excellent vermicelli noodles made from rice. We then turned around and made the very long journey back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overall, we had a great experience and gained a real insight into the way of life in the Mekong Delta. Next stop Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and another early morning!

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

2009-08-06T13:32:00.003+01:00

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City late afternoon after an eight hour bus journey from Dalat. As with Hanoi, the first thing that you notice is the sheer amount of motorbikes on the roads - it's absolutely crazy and has to be seen to be believed!

On our first full day we planned a route that included all the major points of interest, and set out to explore the city on foot. The most notable stop was the War Remnants Museum. We spent a couple of hours here and received a lot of information about the Vietnam War; we would highly recommend it, although it is certainly not for the faint hearted. It was in fact totally horrific, especially the information and images regarding the victims of Agent Orange.

We continued our history lesson on our second day in Ho Chi Minh City with a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels; a network of underground tunnels built and used by the guerrilla soldiers of the Viet Cong. The tour itself was a little disappointing (too touristy), but the tunnels themselves and the first hand information from a war veteran was quite insightful.

We were up nice and early the following day to begin a 2D/1N Mekong Delta tour...

Dalat - Moped Madness

2009-08-01T17:48:00.004+01:00

On our last day in Dalat we hired a moped and headed out to explore the countryside. It was another 'cold day' so we donned our jumpers (first time in 8 weeks!), and built up the courage to join the mayhem on the Vietnamese roads. The city traffic was very daunting but thankfully it was Joe who was driving - Jen wouldn't have been much use as she had her eyes closed and fingers crossed!

Once out of the city we headed north through the Lat minority villages to Lang Bian Mountain. Unfortunately it was a bit foggy, but we still got great views of the surrounding forest and terraced farmland. After enjoying a quick drink as we took shelter from a rain shower, we headed south to an impressive pagoda perched spectacularly above Tuyen Lam Lake. We enjoyed the views over the lake as we walked through the impressive grounds of the pagoda.

After a quick bite to eat we headed down to the shores of the lake for a closer look and to take a few photos. Having been out on the bike for the majority of the day, we decided to make our way back to the Hotel. En-route we stopped at the impressive old train station and also circled Xuan Huong Lake, the central point of the city.

We were pleased to make it back to the hotel in one piece, so decided to celebrate with a luxurious three course meal! We enjoyed one of the best meals we have had in Vietnam, along with beers and coffee - all for the outrageous price of seven pounds!

This was a great end to a good few days in Dalat... next stop Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dalat - Canyoning

2009-07-28T09:07:00.007+01:00

The relatively short journey from Nha Trang was one of our better journeys in Vietnam, and so we arrived in the mountainous city of Dalat at around 2pm. The first thing we noticed was the weather, a 'chilly' 25 degrees - how are we going to cope in England?!

In the afternoon we explored the small city and also booked to go canyoning the following day. That evening we had a really nice meal, a few beers and an early night.

We were picked up at 8.30am and made the short journey to the start of the canyoning. Over the course of the next seven hours, and after being kitted out with helmet, harness and life jacket, we faced several different and exciting challenges as we made our way through the canyon. Firstly, we abseiled down two dry cliffs of approximately 20m. We then trekked through the canyon until we reached a natural water slide, which looked uncomfortably dangerous. However, after watching our guide go down backwards without a helmet, we convinced ourselves that it couldn't do any harm to give it a go. It was great fun and we tried loads of different variations, including backwards and a train (see video end of post)!

Next up was the biggest challenge of the day; abseiling down a 25m high waterfall into a plunge pool. The rock was really slippery so every step had to be carefully placed to avoid a nasty fall. The task was made even more difficult by the fact that the water was gushing onto our legs and into our eyes. As we reached the bottom of the cliff we took a large jump as the rope ran out and we fell backwards into the plunge pool.

By now our adrenaline was pumping, and after a short lunch break we moved on to our last two activities of the day. First up was a 7m free jump, before abseiling into the 'washing machine'. The free jump tested Jen's nerves but she plucked up the courage and followed Joe off the cliff and into the water. The 'washing machine' was a great way to end a brilliant trip through the canyon. It involved abseiling straight underneath a huge waterfall, which spun you around and smashed straight onto your head - by the end you didn't know which way was up or where to go next!

Overall, we had a great time and it was certainly one of the highlights of Vietnam so far.

Nha Trang

2009-07-28T08:47:00.002+01:00

We were pleased to arrive in one piece when we turned up in Nha Trang after a night bus from Hoi An. Again, we didn't get much sleep - it might have something to do with the neon lights inside the bus, the terrible air conditioning, and the absolutely crazy driving!

At least we had a nice hotel to relax in and catch up on some much needed sleep. Hence, on our first day we were pretty lazy and only ventured out for a glimpse of the beach and some good food.

We had a brilliant time on our second day in Nha Trang. The day before we had booked to go out scuba diving, and it certainly didn't disappoint! We were up early and on the boat to the dive site for 7:30am. We did two fun dives at two different sites during the day; the sites were really interesting and we were able to see a lot of new underwater sea life that we hadn't seen before, such as nudibranches, bumphead parrotfish, and a red seahorse!

We came to Nha Trang for the diving, and so once we had had our fix we were ready to move on to the adventure capital of Vietnam...Dalat!

Hoi An

2009-07-26T12:11:00.004+01:00

Four foot beds and a six foot four inch Joe do not mix very well, hence we didn't get much sleep on our overnight 'soft-sleeper' from Hanoi to Hoi An! Luckily, we had booked a nice hotel to stay in for three nights, and we were soon showered, rested, and under the air-conditioning!

Over the next three days we had a great time which included many visits to the tailor, a day cycling to the beach, and lots of ice cream and 'fresh beer'!

We used a highly recommended tailor and got loads of great clothes made-to-measure. Joe got a lovely suit, four shirts, a tie, casual trousers, and a smart jacket. Jen (who struggles to pick a sandwich from a menu) finally decided on a smart jacket and two pairs of casual trousers. The process involved lots of fitting and re-fitting, but it was amazing how quickly the clothes were made and how great they feel when they fit you perfectly. We were both really pleased with the outcome and the whole experience was a lot of fun!

After the craziness of Hanoi we found the quaint streets of Hoi An very relaxing and a lot less intrusive. However, despite there being far fewer mopeds, Joe did manage to get run over by one! The guy was going far too fast down a pedestrianised street, swerved to avoid a bicycle, and ended up hitting Joe before flying in the air and lying in a heap, petrol leaking everywhere. The driver came off far worse, and Joe was only bruised and shaken up a bit. Looking back, it was quite funny and certainly not surprising!

When we weren't at the tailors or being hit by mopeds we manged to hire a couple of bikes for the day (50p each!), get out of town, and cycle to the beach. We had a brilliant time relaxing in the shade of the palm trees on the beach and cycling through some lovely countryside. Not sure about the granny basket on the front though!

The final factor that has cemented Hoi An as a favourite in our eyes was the unbelievably good home-made ice-cream (three nights in a row) and the cheapest beer to date. It was so cheap we though it would be rude not to drink two quid's worth - so that's 16 beers and an interesting bike ride home!

Next stop...Nha Trang and another dreaded bus journey...

Halong Bay

2009-07-21T11:13:00.005+01:00

We started our three day tour of Halong Bay with a four hour minibus ride from Hanoi to Halong City. We then had an hour wait before boarding our junk ship for lunch, and sailing the short distance to our first stop of the afternoon, a huge cave. The cave was massive and really impressive, with some of the best cave structures we have ever seen. However, the experience was tainted slightly due to the sheer volume of tourists and the neon lighting they consider appropriate for lighting up the cave - tacky!

Back on the junk ship, we had a fantastic afternoon sailing peacefully through the spectacular limestone formations and islands of the bay. We sailed through to Cat Ba Island to pick up a couple of passengers before doing a U-turn for a small floating fishing village that rented out kayaks to tourists. We enjoyed getting a closer look at the islands from our kayak and were particularly surprised to come across the most remote ATM we have ever seen! After watching sunset from the kayak, we (or rather just Jen) was treated to fresh crab and beer by the locals who understood no English but were happy to share and smile a lot!

After a sound night's sleep in our luxury cabin aboard the junk ship we were dropped off at Cat Ba Island for day two of the tour. The first activity of the day was a hot and sweaty hike to the top of a dodgy old tower in the heart of Cat Ba National Park. The views from the top were amazing but we were reluctant to stay at the top of the rusting tower for too long - it looked like it would break at any moment!

We were then transferred to our hotel in Cat Ba town, where we used our free afternoon to explore the beaches. Unfortunately, it is a very popular destination for Vietnamese holiday makers as well as Western tourists, and we can quite easily say that we have never seen so many people on a beach at the same time! However, we found a peaceful corner and relaxed with a couple of legendary Vietnamese ice coffees.

The next day was just a traveling day, but we got to sail back through the beautiful Halong Bay again, and the high winds and raging storm made it quite a different experience! During our final lunch in Halong Bay City we randomly met a Malaysian couple from Kuala Lumpur who had lived in Bradford for a while. They had been to Ilkley Moor, Chellow Dene, Haworth, Thornton and more - bizarre!

We were back in Hanoi by 5pm, and in time for a shower and takeaway pizza before boarding the nightbus at 6pm to Hoi An...

Hanoi

2009-07-21T11:08:00.003+01:00

We arrived in Hanoi in style; a 40 minute plane ride from Luang Prabang! After getting through customs, just, we had a smooth transfer (we managed to swerve past the oxen in the airport car park) to our hotel in the Old Quarter. That evening, we had a little explore around the Old Quarter and went for a nice meal in what turned out to be a fake copycat restaurant of the 'Little Hanoi' restaurant that was recommended to us! - This happens an awful lot in Vietnam.

The next day the heavens opened and stayed open for two days solid. However, we still managed to explore the area south of the Old Quarter and enjoyed great views of the lake and city from the City View Bar. That evening we went to a water puppetry show (an old traditional form of entertainment in Hanoi). It certainly was an experience! Despite the fact that we had absolutely no idea of what was going on, it was all quite funny and, at times, really impressive to watch. The hour of entertainment cost us around two pounds for the two of us; Vietnam is certainly the cheapest country so far!

On our final day in Hanoi we were just about starting to get used to the crazy traffic; 3 million mopeds in such a small city makes crossing the road a somewhat interesting experience. The best tactic is to close your eyes, walk straight, cross your fingers, and hope for the best!

Having seen the best parts of the Old Quarter we used our last day to venture further afield and visit the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. It was well worth a visit, and we were particularly impressed with the temporary exhibit which focused on Highway No.9, the road that bisects north and south Vietnam and continues through Laos, Thailand, and Burma.

Overall, we enjoyed Hanoi and it's 10p beers, but in a way it's appeal is it's craziness, and it grates on you after a while!

From here we take a three day tour to Halong Bay and return to Hanoi to get the bus south to Hoi An...

Luang Prabang

2009-07-16T14:45:00.004+01:00

We arrived in Luang Prabang after another bus ride that snaked through the gorgeous Laos countryside. We knew we had exactly five nights before our flight to Hanoi so we set about making the most of our time. On our first full day we spent our time exploring the town, walking around the Old Quarter, and browsing through the stalls at the night market.

The next morning we set off on a two day adventure tour which included trekking, a village stay, and kayaking. Due to the heavy rain we had had the night before, we quickly found ourselves wading through knee deep rivers at regular intervals and scaling around rice paddies. It was hard work in the hot and humid conditions, but we were rewarded with some great views and an amazing lunch including an endless supply of exotic fruit.

We arrived at a typical Hmong village shortly after midday and had the opportunity to have a good look around and ask loads of questions about the life of the villagers. By the evening we had made it to the second Hmong village where we spent the night. After an interesting 'shower' under a bamboo pipe we enjoyed watching the endless games played by the kids in the village; considering how little they had, it was great to see how unbelievably happy they all were. To round off a fantastic day, our guide then cooked us a traditional meal and served us some home-brewed Lao Lao (rice whiskey).

The next morning we trekked back down to the road, where we were picked up and taken to the start of the kayaking. We enjoyed kayaking down the river back towards Luang Prabang for around three hours (including a lunch stop). In general we were pretty successful at steering through the rapids, but we did manage to topple out on a couple of occasions!

On our last full day we hired a tuk tuk driver with a couple of friends and set out to visit the popular waterfalls around Luang Prabang. We were really impressed with how clean and clear the waterfalls were, so we spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing - it was a great end to a fantastic eleven days in Laos.

Next stop...Vietnam (and not sat in the aisle of a horrible bus with chickens for 30 hours, but flashpacking on a comfy 40 minute plane ride!)

Vang Vieng

2009-07-10T13:40:00.002+01:00

We took the ‘V.I.P.’ minibus from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, and it was anything but V.I.P.! The one saving grace was that the views along the way were stunning; lush green jungle and jagged limestone cliffs lined the meandering road as we made our way north.

Once in Vang Vieng we booked into our hostel and went out to explore. It was clear that you only come to Vang Vieng for one thing and one thing only – to party! The next day we got our first taste of the phenomenon that is tubing on the Nam Song! Basically, this is a pub crawl on a river with tractor tyre inner tubes for transport and Tarzan swings for entertainment!

Overall, we spent two days tubing and managed to get to most of the bars, swings, slides, and mud-baths along the way. The first bar was the pick of the bunch as it had the best entertainment, the best Tarzan swing, and it seemed to be the best place to get drunk before jumping in the river! Once in the river, if you wanted to go to another bar you had to signal for one of the kids to throw in a ring and hook you out! As you can imagine, this became a serious struggle after a few beers and with a raging current!

On the second day of tubing we experienced the great atmosphere of Bar 3 in the pouring rain. There was plenty of beer and free tequila shots, which led to a lot of singing and dancing! We then missed out the mud bath tug-o-war at Smile Bar (which we experienced on the first day), and moved onto the last bar for mud wrestling and more Tarzan swings!

At the end of each day we were very drunk, very muddy, and very tired by the time we made our way along the last 3km stretch of the river before arriving back in Vang Vieng. It was one of the most random experiences on our trip to date, and although not in-keeping with real Laos culture, it was great fun and had to be done!

Next stop...detox in Luang Prabang and a two day jungle trek!

Vientiane

2009-07-07T14:34:00.002+01:00

We arrived in Vientiane around 12pm having taken the overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani, a tuk tuk from Udon Thani Station to another bus stop in Udon Thani, a public bus from Udon Thani to Nong Khai, another tuk tuk to the border crossing at Friendship Bridge, a bus across the bridge after passing immigration, and finally a very overloaded tuk tuk to our hostel in Vientiane - it goes without saying that we were pretty tired!

We spent two days in Vientiane and it rained non-stop (it is the rainy season). However, we had a lot of sleep to catch up on and quite a lot of errands to run (Vietnam visas, flights to Hanoi, bus tickets to Vang Vieng etc.), so we were kept quite busy.

There wasn't a great deal to do here except eat and drink - and we did this in abundance! Laos has some great French bakeries, cafes, and cool bars serving some much loved home comforts!

Next stop...Tubing in Vang Vieng!

Chiang Mai - Eco-Adventure Trek

2009-07-03T12:29:00.004+01:00

After the fantastic day we had on the cookery course, we booked onto a two day one night 'Eco-Adventure' trek which involved an elephant ride, trekking through the jungle, white-water rafting, and bamboo rafting.

The first day involved a two hour journey into the jungle where we jumped onto the back of an elephant (as you do) and were taken for a ride! Along the way we took plenty of photos and, at times, held on for dear life as the elephants ascended and descended some pretty steep and slippery slopes! We then had lunch and completed a three hour uphill climb to the hilltop village that was our home for the night.

Our little bamboo lodge was perched spectacularly overlooking the surrounding hills and valleys - it was a perfect setting for a great evening. Our tour guide cooked us an amazing curry and then provided the entertainment with some interesting 'Thai' covers of The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Oasis, and many more!

On the second day we descended the 1000m we had climbed the previous day, and made our way along the river to the waterfall (see below). With searing temperatures and humidity it was great to jump in the river and stand under the waterfalls. We then made our way to the start of the white-water rafting, and after a five minute demonstration we were hauled into the 'raging' river! We rafted for about half an hour (it was actually quite good) and then took a ten minute bamboo raft to the pick up point.

After some Pad Thai noodles we squeezed into the van and made the hour and a half journey back to Chiang Mai. Smelly, wet, and dirty, we were glad to send our clothes to the laundry and have a nice shower!

Chiang Mai - Thai Cookery Course

2009-07-03T12:06:00.003+01:00

On our first full day in Chiang Mai we decided to put our culinary skills to the test and do a Thai cookery course! It was a great day, which involved a trip to the market to buy and learn all about the different ingredients that are used, preparing and cooking six courses, attempting to carve vegetables, and eating mountains of exceptionally good food!

Between us we made spring rolls, Thai soup, papaya salad, chicken salad, chicken and cashew nut stir-fry, spicy red Thai curry, and sticky mango rice. We were surprised at how quick and easy the dishes were to make - even making fresh curry paste from scratch took less than ten minutes!

We promise to cook for the Pooles and Nuttalls when we get back so you can find out for yourself how good the food really is!

Kuala Lumpur

2009-06-30T10:16:00.003+01:00

We finally made it back to Kuala Lumpur after a nine hour bumpy bus ride from Kuala Besut, and headed straight back to the comfort of Louise and Iain's apartment! Again, we were made to feel really welcome and they continued to spoil us with great food (see photos) - including the biggest English breakfast you could ever imagine, a lovely banana leaf, and plenty of beer served in a proper pint glass - we'd forgotten what they looked like!

Thanks again guys, we had a fantastic time, and we're now looking forward to Thailand...

The Perhentian Islands

2009-06-26T11:55:00.006+01:00

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur early after catching the horrendous overnight train from Singapore, and made our way to Louise and Iain's house (Louise is an old friend of Jen's sister). They were extremely welcoming and we spent two days catching up over good food and proper English tea!

We then took another night bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Besut, where we boarded the speed boat at 7.30am and made the short trip to Perhentian Besar. We had booked four nights at the Watercolours resort and planned to eat well, sleep well, and do our Advanced Open Water dive course.

The first day was spent recovering from lack of sleep (the night bus was just as bad as the night train) and swotting up on all the dive theory ready for the course. On day two we completed the navigation dive and the night dive. The navigation wasn't anything spectacular but taught us some key skills for finding our way around underwater (Jen is actually a better navigator underwater than she is on land!) In the evening we waited until dark and then ventured out for the night dive. It was an unreal experience and we managed to see loads of sea life that you struggle to see during the day - including the fish having a kip on the rocks! Our favourite sightings were the boxer shrimp, the coral catshark, the Jenkins stingray, and the plankton that illuminated when we turned off our torches!

On the third day we did the deep dive and the underwater photography dive. The deep dive was a great experience. We went down as far as 30m and it was again a completely different world. A lot more of the colours were lost at this depth and it was a lot cooler than on the surface. Here, we saw at least five bamboo sharks, a moray eel, two Jenkins stingrays, some porcupine fish, and many more. The photography dive was really cool too, as the visibility was perfect and it was a superb dive site. As we swam around we practised taking pictures of the fish, each other, and the coral. We soon found that underwater photography is a fine art and requires excellent buoyancy control to get the best results. However, we did get some really nice photos!

On our fourth and final day we completed the course with a wreck dive - a 92m cargo ship carrying sugar that sank in December 2002 called the Union Star - the dive site is known as the Sugar Shipwreck! Again, it was completely different to all the other dives, and it was really exciting and challenging to manoeuvre through the fallen masts and ropes whilst marvelling at the sheer abundance of fish. The pick of the bunch on this dive were the huge pufferfish, the giant blue trevally, the scorpionfish, and the lionfish.

After successfully completing the course (we are now Advanced Divers!) we went snorkeling for one last look at the fish. We realised that the island is fantastic for snorkeling as well as diving, and our whole experience of the Perhentians was topped off when we saw a 1.5m blacktip reef shark!

We now make our way back to Kuala Lumpur before flying to Chiang Mai...

Singapore

2009-06-23T09:14:00.002+01:00

After a two and a half hour flight from Denpasar we arrived in Singapore airport at around 7pm. We took the shuttle bus to our hostel, which was situated in Little India, and went straight out for a curry. It was a long day of travel so we were pleased to get an early night.

The next day we planned to see all of the sights, but due to a tropical rainstorm, we ended up doing the two most popular things in Singapore; shopping and eating! The size of the shopping centres was incredible and they had everything on offer that you could imagine. We ended up coming away with a laptop for half the price you would get in in England... oops! After a brief stroll through Chinatown we headed back to Little India, where we had another fantastic curry (the nearest to a Bradford curry we've had all year!)

On our final day in Singapore we went for lunch at, and explored, Clarke Quay. After lunch we took a stroll through Fort Canning Park before meeting Alex (our Swiss friend from Indonesia) for a coffee. We then made our final trip back to Little India in order to collect our bags and make our way to the train station to catch the overnight train to Kuala Lumpur...

Open Water Dive Course

2009-06-12T10:24:00.004+01:00

The dive course was over four days and included two theory sessions, two pool sessions, and five dives.

On the first day we watched a couple of videos, did some theory work and then climbed into our SCUBA gear for the first time. Once in the pool, we both found it really hard to get used to breathing underwater - it was a very strange and unnatural sensation! However, after persevering we became more and more comfortable, and were able to complete all the essential skills in the pool before our first dive.

We were now onto the fun part of the course! We did five dive sites in total including Manta Point, Meno Bounty, Hanns Reef, Shark Point, and Halik. Each dive site was very different and added to our experience every time. We started with our first dive at 12m, and by the end of the week we were going as deep as 23m.

As we became more comfortable in the water, we were able to really relax and take in the sheer beauty of the coral reefs and shipwrecks, not to mention the fish! Over the five dives we saw loads of weird and wonderful types of fish including trigger fish, cuttle fish, angel fish, spade fish, sweet lips, lion fish etc. etc. We were also lucky enough to see many hawks bill and green turtles as well as a white tip reef shark and an eagle ray.

It was absolutely incredible and we've definitely got the taste for it! Maybe our advanced course in Malaysia???

Gili Islands

2009-06-08T08:29:00.002+01:00

We spent seven nights on the Gili Islands, staying in a really friendly little guesthouse called Pondok Lita. We were mainly here for our four day open water dive course (see separate post), but we also had time to relax on the gorgeous beaches, swim in the turquoise sea, and eat at a different restaurant every night!

The atmosphere on the island was nice - no cars or bikes and very few people hassling us to buys things. We had a great time but the diving really stole the show...

Sengiggi

2009-06-07T08:28:00.004+01:00

We were tired on arrival in Sengiggi (Lombok) as we had spent the entire day on buses and boats, so we opted for a quick feed and an early night.

The next morning we rented a scooter each and set out to explore the area. There were a few teething problems to begin with, one example being when Jen first got on and went a bit over the top with the throttle, and nearly ending up through a shop window! (Don't worry Mum, I'm a safe moped driver now!)

We had an excellent day on our scooters and we got to see a lot of the area. Initially we took the curvy coastal road north, on which a 'wow' greeted every twist and turn as the beaches just got better and better.

In the afternoon we cut inland passing between two mountains covered in lush jungle. In contrast to the morning we found ourselves whizzing through terraced rice paddies and past crazy monkeys.

After a late afternoon curry stop back in Sengiggi, we went for one last spin and stopped to watch the sun set over Bali's volcanoes. It was a perfect end to a brilliant day.

Next stop... diving in the Gili Islands!

Padang Bai

2009-06-07T08:22:00.002+01:00

We decided to spend a couple of days in Padang Bai before taking the ferry across to Lombok. After arriving and settling in, we chartered a 'boat' to take us out snorkeling. Having seen the 'boat' assembled in front of us (tying bamboo poles together etc.), we were cautious as the five of us jumped on board for the short trip. We made sure not to hand over any money until the motor arrived! The snorkeling was really good fun, as the visibility was excellent and we saw loads of fish.

The next day was a beach day spent at the Blue Lagoon - a short walk from the hostel. It was nice to be in a small and relatively quiet town on the beach. Next stop... Sengiggi

Ubud

2009-06-02T11:11:00.005+01:00

We took the Perama bus from Kuta to Ubud on our second full day in Bali. As we made the journey north we passed through beautifully lush countryside, endless rice paddies, and small Balinese villages.

We found a nice place to stay and enjoyed two full days in and around Ubud. On the first day we explored the town, visited the Monkey Sanctuary, and had a great Balinese massage! To top off a lovely relaxing day we splashed out on a three course meal with plenty of beers - 10 quid!

On the second day we sighed up for a brilliant Eco-Educational Cycle Tour, where we spent the full day;

- Eating breakfast overlooking Mount Batur.

- Visiting a farm that produced coffee, cocoa, vanilla, and exotic fruits.

- Cycling 35km through traditional villages and stopping to visit a working Balinese 'compound' and temple.

- Stopping off at the rice paddies and learning the processes used in growing and preparing the rice.

- Finally, enjoying a feast of typical Indonesian cuisine.

Overall, we had a great day, helped by 25km of downhill cycling and loads of 'hellos' and high fives from the local kids!

Kuta

2009-06-02T11:06:00.002+01:00

We arrived in Bali after a long day of travel which involved two flights (Cairns-Darwin, Darwin-Denpasar) and a lot of waiting around. Our first two days in Indonesia were spent acclimatising in Kuta - there were plenty of things to get used to, both good and bad!

The Bad

- Constantly being asked 'Sir, you want taxi?' or 'Miss, you want manicure?'

- Stifling heat and humidity that has you sweating after a few paces.

- The obligatory bartering over absolutely anything and everything.

The Good

- Great breakfasts with banana pancakes and fresh fruit juices.

- Ice cold Bintang beers for under a quid!

- Bargain Balinese massages.

After getting used to all of these things and realising that Kuta had little to offer us, except for good food and drink, we decided to head north to Ubud in search of the real Bali...

The Great Barrier Reef

2009-06-01T10:17:00.005+01:00

We were up early in order to walk to the marina (our car was long gone) for 7.30am. It was a 2.5 hour journey out to the reef on our small 20 person boat. We were glad to finally arrive, as it had been quite a bumpy ride!

Once we were kitted out with snorkels and flippers we dove straight in and enjoyed nearly two hours of exploring the underwater wonderland. There were numerous different types of coral and sea life of various colours, shapes, and sizes. Amongst our favourites were the angel fish and parrot fish.

After a much needed buffet lunch aboard the boat we decided to make the most of our time at the reef and so jumped straight back in for another hour and a half. we had hired an underwater camera for the day and enjoyed taking silly pictures of each other as well as the fish!

We had a brilliant day and were both absolutely shattered by the end of it.

Cairns, Port Douglas & Cape Tribulation

2009-05-24T07:47:00.005+01:00

We arrived in Cairns tired from our long journey, and got stuck into selling the car. With everyone travelling north up the east coast, Cairns is by far the worst place to sell. However, after getting to grips with the mind-boggling legislation, putting up endless posters, and advertising on the net, we finally sold our beautiful Camry for a loss of only AU$1700 (better than leaving it at the airport with the keys in the ignition - it does happen!)

As part of the sale we negotiated one final trip before handing over the keys - Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation. On the way up to the cape we stopped in for coffee at Port Douglas before making a brief stop at Mossman Gorge. We were particularly impressed with Port Douglas and so decided to stop in for a better look on the way back.

After crossing the Daintree River we wound our way through the small roads of the National Park all the way to Cape Tribulation. Along the way we stopped at Cow Bay, the Jindalba Boardwalk, and had a great ice-cream at the famous Daintree Ice-cream Company. We were also fortunate enough to see a cassowary cross the road right in front of us!

In the evening we had a nice long walk along Myall Beach and had a relaxing evening on the campsite. We woke up at 5am for sunrise - we had been told how amazing it was, and we weren't disappointed! Later that morning we made the short trip around to the Cape itself, where we were able to feel the serenity before anyone else arrived.

We drove back down towards Port Douglas where we spent the afternoon picnicking and reading before heading to Kuranda on our way back to Cairns.

We spent our last five days in Cairns tying up loose ends and preparing for South-East Asia. However, we did have a day spare to explore the Great Barrier Reef...

Fraser Island

2009-05-20T03:45:00.006+01:00

We arrived at Hervey Bay after the short drive from Noosa one day before our scheduled 3 day 2 night self-drive 4x4 safari on Fraser Island. We met that evening for a pre-tour briefing where 27 of us were separated into three groups of nine and then subjected to over an hour of safety and itinerary talk.

The next morning our group piled into our bright pink 4x4 Toyota Landcruiser and went to buy food and drink supplies, before boarding the ferry to Fraser Island at about 10:30am. The first stop was, in hindsight, the best place on Fraser Island; Lake McKenzie. With the turquoise water, blue skies and white sand, it was just pure paradise. The fresh water was unbelievably clear and great to swim in. We spent the first afternoon here before making our way up the beach to our camping area.

The first night was brilliant! After pitching the tents we had a big BBQ followed by lots of alcohol and drinking games from around the world! Needless to say there were a few sore heads at 7am when we packed up camp and got going for the day.

Our first stop was a refreshing dip at Eli Creek, we then stopped for piccies at The Maheno Shipwreck before driving the length of the eastern beach to Indian Heads.

From Indian Heads we enjoyed the views from the top of the headland down onto the beautiful beaches. We then walked 40mins north to the Champagne Pools where the sea crashed over the rocks (like champagne out of a bottle) into huge salt water pools, which were jellyfish and stinger free!

After chilling on the beach we headed back south to the same campground as the previous night. We cooked a great pasta dish and had a few beers before crashing into our tents.

On the third and final morning we made sausages and eggs, packed up the tents, and headed to Lake Wabby - the final stop on our itinerary. It was a 40min walk inland from the beach, and worth it! Set in between huge sand dunes and tropical rainforest, the lake was visually stunning and even better to run down the dunes and dive in to!

Filthy and exhausted, we arrived back in Hervey Bay at around 4pm. We managed to get most of the sand out of our ears, and do our laundry ready for the trip up to Cairns.

Hervey Bay to Cairns = 2 days, 1500km, and lots of coffee!

Noosa

2009-05-08T01:32:00.006+01:00

Our final surf stop in Australia; we were here for ten days and absolutely loved every minute of it! We spent our time enjoying the great surf at Tea Tree Bay, exploring the National Park and wandering through the three small sections of Noosa; Noosa Heads, Noosa Junction and Noosaville.

During our time here we had fantastic weather and lovely 1-2ft clean waves. We were extremely lucky to encounter loads of wildlife including koalas, a carpet python (3m long), turtles, and best of all, a couple of encounters with dolphins!

At the end of a long four hour surf we were tired and just about to get out when a couple of fins appeared not 5m from our boards. Having had a similar experience in Byron Bay we quickly realised that the dolphins had come to play! Jen was pleased, as she had missed them in Byron Bay, but this time one was so close it nearly knocked her off her board - amazing!

Other things that happened in Noosa; Joe had his haircut (not too much off though), and also 'caught the wave of his life' on a daily basis! Jen improved upon her last smash-up, this time putting another hole in the nose - thank goodness for duct tape!

We had a great time and were sad to leave, especially as we had to sell the surf boards... bring on Fraser Island!

Pottsville & Gold Coast

2009-05-08T01:31:00.003+01:00

We left Byron Bay after a great morning surf at 'The Pass' and headed inland for a scenic drive and brief coffee stop in Nimbin. The drive was absolutely beautiful as we passed Mount Warning and Nimbin Rocks.

We arrived at Cabarita Beach in time for a picnic lunch and a walk along the headland - one of the nicest beaches we have seen on our travels! That evening we went to stay with Jen's long lost cousin Pete and his wife Miranda. We had planned to stay a couple of days, but we were made to feel extremely welcome and so ended up staying almost a week.

During the week we were treated to a great steak meal at Pete's restaurant, loads of unbelievable home-cooked food, and Premiership footy on the TV; not to mention the great company!

We spent one day on the Gold Coast where we visited Kirra, Coolangatta, and Burleigh Heads. Unfortunately, the conditions for surfing were slightly too big (we're not quite ready for 10ft barrels!) However, we had a great day watching the pros and eating huge ice creams! The Gold Coast was a bit too built up and touristy for us, so we decided that we would spend the rest of the week day-tripping back to Byron Bay where we knew the surf was going to be perfect.

The week didn't pass without incident! To cut lots of long stories short...

# Joe nearly had a heart attack after seeing an enormous fin metres from his board, only to realise with sheer jubilation that it was three dolphins that had come to have a play with the surfers - what an experience!

# Jen had two fights with the locals. One resulted in her losing a fin and half of her board, the other saw her literally pushed off her replacement hire board mid-wave and subjected to a torrent of abuse - the Kamakazee Kid is definitely back!

# The car broke down (boo). A hole in the casing leading to the radiator meant the car lost all its water and overheated. After pumping gallons of water into the car at regular intervals in an attempt to just get back to Pottsville, we failed on the last hill and had to be pushed into a locals driveway where we filled up the radiator with his hosepipe! Note to self, do not open radiator cap when car is overheated, it tends to explode with boiling hot mucky water - ouch! (Not to worry, car is now fixed).

All in all, great week, great surf, and the most comfortable bed since Kentucky! - Thanks Pete and Miranda xxx

Byron Bay

2009-05-02T11:11:00.004+01:00

After the frustrating surf and weather in Yamba, we were pleased to see that the sun was out and the surf had improved when we arrived at Byron Bay. We set up camp on a great pitch overlooking the surf - we were more than happy to call this home for four nights.

This was the first place in Australia where we encountered lots of pretentious backpackers with their trilby hats and designer travel beards - fortunately for us we were staying slightly out of town and we managed to meet up with some Aussie friends we had met in Yamba.

We had a great time, despite the fact that Joe spent two days in bed recovering from a stomach bug. We spent our time enjoying walks on the gorgeous beach, reading our books and surfing. We had some really nice surf sessions, with a mix of gentle longboard waves and some bigger shortboard waves. We particularly enjoyed sunset surfs - being in the crystal clear waters as the sun is setting over the mountains cannot be beaten!

We both really liked Byron Bay and enjoyed our time here, but were looking forward to a family reunion in Pottsville.

Coffs Harbour & Yamba

2009-04-24T01:31:00.004+01:00

We left Crescent Head in search of smaller waves and better weather, unfortunately on arriving at Coffs harbour, we found neither! The beaches were closed as the surf was too dangerous and there was torrential rain all day.

We decided to get some shelter from the rain by going to the cinema! We saw 'The Boat That Rocked' which was very light-hearted and a lot of fun; highly recommended! After cooking a curry and having a few wines we made a mad dash for the bed in the back of the car during a rare break in the rain.

The next day we woke to more rain and even bigger swell, so we thought we would hit the road again and travel north to Yamba. We spent three nights in Yamba altogether. The weather was mixed with plenty of heavy downpours and some blue skies here and there. The swell was still far too big from the storm, even the fishing boats couldn't get out of the harbour!

However, we made the most of our time and enjoyed a couple of really nice walks in the surrounding national parks. On the first full day we walked from a small village called Angourie along the clifftops to Shelley Beach, where we had great views of the beaches and coves. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to catch a glimpse of any passing whales, which can often be seen at this time of year as they migrate north.

On the second day we drove around to the next town called Iluka where we attempted a walk through the ancient rainforest that lies under the protection of the sand dunes. The walk was cut short however, as we were being eaten alive by huge blood-sucking mosquitoes - they seem to like English blood!

Today we move on to Byron Bay via Lennox Head...fingers crossed for good surf and fine weather!

Newcastle, Forster-Tuncurry & Crescent Head

2009-04-20T05:09:00.003+01:00

A few hours north of Sydney we arrived in Newcastle in time for a lovely picnic overlooking the surf. The waves here looked monstrous, so we made the short trip to Anna Bay near Port Stephens.

It was an unbelievable spot with gently rolling waves (but still some 4ft+ sets!), so we had a great afternoon of surfing. We were up and in again early the next day to catch the conditions whilst they were good, and were packed and on our way to Forster-Tuncurry before 10am.

At our campsite on Redhead Bay the waves were too small, so we went and had a look at Nine Mile Beach in Tuncurry. The sets coming in were huge (7-8ft+), so we thought that watching in amazement from the rocks was the safest option! That evening we treated ourselves to a brilliant barbecue with plenty of beer and wine.

We continued our quest up the coast the next morning. We arrived at Crescent Head via Port Macquarie at around 1pm and were delighted to see glassy sets rolling in cleanly. After a bite to eat we got straight in the surf and enjoyed a mixed two hour session, which included some big waves and even bigger wipeouts!

The next day was a wash out as a huge storm meant the surf was a big powerful mess, so we spent most of the day relaxing and taking shelter from the rain in the tent.

Next stop... Coffs Harbour

Northshore Beaches - Sydney

2009-04-20T05:05:00.001+01:00

After the previous night's storm we woke up to a beautiful day and made the journey east to Narabeen, north of Sydney.

We spent the next three days exploring Narabeen, Collaroy, Manly, Avalon, and Palm Beach. Again, another gorgeous stretch of coastline with some unbelievable surf, turquoise waters, and golden sands. Our pick of the surf beaches was Collaroy, where we both arguably caught the best waves of our lives! The waves were three foot, clean, with peeling right handers - perfect!

The Blue Mountains

2009-04-14T10:46:00.004+01:00

Delayed by the Easter Sunday traffic, we finally arrived in Katoomba (the gateway to the Blue Mountains) around noon. Unfortunately, every man and his dog had decided on a day trip to the famous Echo Point lookout. Put off by the crowds, we took a few snaps, got some information on good walks, and drove the short distance to the quieter town of Blackheath.

We pitched the tent and chose a nice walk at the nearby Govett's Leap. Aware that the nights are drawing in quicker and that it is dark by 5.30pm (yes, it is autumn here), we went on an hour trek to the base of Bridal Veil Falls and back.

The next day we were up early as we had planned a longer venture into the mountains. We combined three walks to create an excellent circular route that took us into the afternoon. The highlight of which was the descent into the 'Grand Canyon', which is best described as a mini subtropical rainforest. Luckily we were back to the campsite via a lovely coffee stop, before the heavens opened - it rained all night!

Sydney

2009-04-14T10:45:00.004+01:00

We got to our hostel in Newtown (10 mins from city centre) in time for a quick shower and a bite to eat before heading into Sydney at around 11am. We had a full day of exploring the centre which included; taking in the many views of the famous Sydney Opera House, walking over the Harbour Bridge, browsing the many market stalls and feasting on a 'gourmet' burger in 'The Rocks', and taking a ferry across the harbour to the quaint Balmain.

Having seen so many cities, it is easy to let them all merge into one. However, Sydney is very unique and we had a fantastic day wandering around and enjoying the sights.

The day was complete after our traditional visit to one of the city's sporting venues. We had some top tickets to the Super 14s game between the Waratahs and the Bulls. Both sides had star-studded starting 15s, including Brian 'blink and you'll miss him' Habana!

It was a great experience to watch a game at the Sydney Football Stadium (SFS), and there was some really exciting passages of play and blood curdling tackles. The Bulls won comfortably in the end but it was quite close throughout. This topped off a brilliant day in the city.

Next stop... The Blue Mountains.

Woolongong & Coledale

2009-04-14T10:44:00.009+01:00

After a few days in the sleepy capital we headed back to the coast and to a lovely place called Coledale, just north of Woolongong. Eager to hit the surf, we jumped straight in to the sea from our beach-side campsite. However, the waves were big, dumpy, and messy, so the first session didn't last too long!

We spent three nights here in total, getting our best surf at North Woolongong Beach on Good Friday. It was a great area and a beautiful stretch of coastline on which to relax and surf before heading to Sydney.

Canberra

2009-04-14T10:44:00.006+01:00

From Wilson's Promontory it took us two days to get to Canberra - this is a pretty big country! On route we stopped off at Eden and Bateman's Bay. Unfortunately, the conditions didn't allow us a sneaky surf before making our way inland to Canberra.

We finally arrived on Monday night and enjoyed a lovely evening with our friends Justin and Jo (two Aussies we met in England last year). They kindly took us out for a meal and it was nice to catch up over a couple of beers. Thanks guys!

The next day we went out to explore what must surely be the world's strangest capital city. Pre-designed and built in between Melbourne and Sydney (as they couldn't decide which one should be the capital), Canberra is a small and quiet place in the middle of nowhere! Nevertheless, we enjoyed walking alongside the lake and wandering the streets for the day.

Justin and Jo had a wedding to attend in Japan, so as soon as they left, we left too... back to the coast for more beach, surf and sun!

Wilson's Promontory National Park

2009-04-13T06:07:00.007+01:00

We set off from Melbourne on Saturday 4th April and were glad to be back on the road after two months living in the city. We headed straight for Wilson's Promontory; a beautiful coastal national park south-east of Melbourne. We arrived mid-afternoon and went for a great walk from Tidal River over the headland to Squeaky Beach. The views were magnificent and the waves crashing over the rocks were an awesome sight.

Even after five weeks of bush fires there was an abundance of wildlife. We saw countless parrots and parakeets, as well as wombats, wallabies and possums. It was great to be back in naturally beautiful places again.

The next day we woke up on the beach-side campsite and headed straight for the surf. The water was crystal blue and very inviting. However, the conditions were a bit messy so we only spent 45mins in the water before getting back on the road and making the long trip towards Canberra.

Surfing Torquay & Jan Juc

2009-03-30T04:13:00.006+01:00

A couple of weeks ago we got our first pay packet in Australia and spent it wisely - two brand spanking new surfboards from the famous Zak Surfboard Shop in Melbourne! Jen got a beautiful blue Hot Buttered short board at 6'4", 20.25", 2.5", and Joe bought a Zak fishtail 7"0, 22", 3.25". These boards are a huge step up from the boards we had previously rode (Jen 7'6" and Joe 9'2"), so we knew they would take a lot of getting used to - hopefully the excellent Australian conditions would give us a helping hand!

Since our purchase we have been taking the boards down to Torquay and Jan Juc on every spare day we have had! We've had some great conditions and some of the biggest waves we have ever surfed in. In such conditions you have to learn fast otherwise you'll spend all day getting battered by the waves. However, we both feel as though we have already made huge strides on our new boards; and we still have two months of non-stop surfing to come!

There are likely to be plenty more surf pictures in the next two months as we head up the east coast so keep logging in to check out our progress!

Aussie Rules - Hawthorn Vs. Geelong

2009-03-30T03:55:00.006+01:00

On Friday 27th March we got our first live experience of Aussie Rules aka 'footy'. It was only the second game of the 2009 season, it was under the lights of the famous MCG, an amazing 70,000 people turned up, and it was to be played between last years two grand finalists - it didn't disappoint!

As a sporting spectacle it was superb. We managed to figure out the rules quite easily and once we were in tune it was fantastic to watch. In a nutshell...the field is the size of the whole cricket oval, there are eighteen players per side on the pitch at once, each player averages well over 20km in four quarters of 25mins, it is 6 points between the centre posts, 1 point either side, you kick the ball to each other to gain a 'mark', and pass the ball by punching it to your teammates. Sound simple? Thought not!

As weird as it sounds, it's by far the most popular game in Victoria and one of the most popular in all of Australia. The MCG proved a great venue and the game finished with Hawthorn coming back from 50 points down in the 3rd quarter to narrowly lose by only 8 points at full time.

It was a great evening that started with a monster burger and a couple of beers before the game, and ended with a snooze on the train on the way home after a fantastic game of 'footy'!

Pimp My Ride!

2009-03-08T05:27:00.004Z

Over the last couple of weeks we haven't been hitting the dizzy heights of travel that we had become accustomed to; but we have definitely been keeping ourselves busy! We have been working various temporary jobs in an effort to boost our funds for the remainder of our journey. Joe had a two week stint working a data entry job for the government whilst Jen has had a lot more two-three day stints doing administration in various positions.

As boring as that sounds, we have also been pimping our car out with a bed, storage units, curtains and two beautiful surfboards! On days where we haven't had work and on weekends, we have spent a lot of time at Torquay and Jan Juc, two of Victoria's best surfing beaches and only an hour drive from Essendon (the suburb of Melbourne where we're living) - see later posting for pictures etc.

We have had a great time here in Melbourne where we have been able to recharge our batteries and take stock of all the amazing places and experiences we have had so far. We're now looking forward to getting back on the road at the beginning of April to continue our travels all along the east coast of Australia.

Kyneton Bushland Resort

2009-02-27T05:02:00.003Z

Having returned from our trip along The Great Ocean Road we spent a week job hunting before having a weekend of luxury at the Kyneton Bushland Resort.

We made the short drive to the resort from our new home in Essendon on Friday afternoon. Having settled in at the villa we decided to waste no time and headed straight to the pool complex. We enjoyed a lovely swim, and some rest and relaxation in the hot tub and the sauna. We returned to the villa for a few customary beers and watched a film.

This was to be the order of the weekend, as we spent time in the pool complex as well as playing tennis and squash. The latter too activities weren't quite as relaxing though as we soon realised that we're not as fit as we used to be - neither of us could walk by the end of the weekend!

We also took some time to have a look around the small town of Kyneton. We really liked the historic Piper Street, which had the added bonus of being home to the towns bakehouse which sold amazing homemade pies - Yum!

The weekend also marked a trip first for us, as we encountered our first Australian spiders. With Jen having tempted fate by saying 'I've not been at all paranoid about spiders or snakes yet', surprise surprise two huge hairy spiders came running across the ceiling when we were watching the football at 5.30am on Sunday morning.

The scene that followed was probably quite amusing if you could have been a fly on the wall. Not knowing if the spiders were dangerous and having never seen a spider that big, we both moved quickly away from the spiders and made a plan! Having decided that the best tactic was to kill them, Joe launched killer blows at the spiders with a broom whilst Jen stood frozen on a chair. We thought the coast was clear but as Joe lent down to cover up one of the 'dead' spiders it started to run away, causing him to drop the glass. A big scream from Jen and a final panicked blow saw the end of spider number one.

We found out the next day that the spiders we encountered were Huntsman, which are not poisonous to humans but can grow very big - our little visitors had bodies the size of a fifty pence piece and legs two inches long!

Despite the spiders we had a great weekend. We really enjoyed lazing around in the villa, relaxing in the pool area and doing some sport in such a lovely setting. Now it is back to Melbourne to continue our job hunt.

We would like to say thanks to Gilly and Clive for booking us in to the resort - it was a great birthday present and we had a brilliant time. Thank you very much guys!

The Great Ocean Road

2009-02-17T08:08:00.007Z

Having packed up the car and got some essential supplies i.e. meat and beer, we started out on our first road trip in our new car. On the first evening we made it to Anglesea after a brief stop in Torquay (the surf capital of Victoria). We had a few beers before setting up the tent and cooking a great meal (get used to this sentence). Joe soon realised that the trip would involve a lot of 'silly' pictures when he heard Ellie and Jen begging for their picture to be taken in the loo by a total stranger!

After passing underneath the Great Ocean Road sign (see below) the next morning, the road began to twist and turn as we skirted the coast past numerous sandy bays. We stopped off for lunch at Lorne and had coffee at Apollo Bay before reaching the Twelve Apostles later that afternoon.

The Twelve Apostles were remarkable although there are now only six of them left standing! The conditions weren't the best but we took a stroll along the boardwalk and stopped for a few pictures anyway. That evening we cooked up the BBQ of all BBQs at a nice little campsite in Port Campbell. This was of course complemented with a few beers and the cricket on the outdoor TV.

The first stop on Wednesday was Warnambool where we picked up supplies before heading to Port Fairy for a picnic lunch and lovely cakes from the bakery! In the afternoon we took a slight detour to Cape Bridgewater where we found a gorgeous white sandy beach for a walk. We also ventured further round the Cape where we found a petrified forest and blowholes. That evening we wound up at Nelson where (after passing numerous warning signs) we finally saw a wild kangaroo bounce through the campsite.

In the morning we made the short journey to Mt. Gambier where we had brief stops at Blue Lake and Valley Lake (lakes formed in the volcanic craters of Mt. Gambier - see below). After a long morning on the road we were pleased to arrive at the seaside town of Robe (now in Southern Australia) and had a nice (but windy) picnic. The beaches here were beautiful and covered in white sand with turquoise waters. It was a shame that it was blowing a gale which prevented us from exploring fully.

In the afternoon we had a long boring drive along the Princes Highway. There was nothing except sun-scorched grass and straight tarmac for miles upon miles. However, we finally made it to Middleton on the Fleurieu Peninsula. We decided to stay here for a couple of nights and avoid getting in the car for a whole day!

Having had a really relaxing time on the beach at Middleton we headed into the city of Adelaide on Saturday via a great pie shop at Port Elliott! We enjoyed the afternoon looking around the city before beginning the long journey home.

Our last night of the trip was spent on a campsite at Tailem Bend on the banks of the Murray River. We cooked up a brilliant chili and relaxed with the last of the beers whilst watching the sunset. In the morning we set ourselves up with a full English breakfast before driving the 590km back to Melbourne - what a trip!

We would like to say a big thanks to Ellie as despite her snoring, burping and farting, we really enjoyed her company on this road trip to remember! Check out the ridiculous photos that were taken along the way on the slideshow at the top of the page!

Go Team Volley!

Melbourne

2009-02-17T08:05:00.003Z

We were welcomed at Melbourne airport by our friend Ellie, and after a short ride back to her house we enjoyed a well overdue catchup over a few too many beers!

We spent a week in Melbourne staying with Ellie and her flatmates Jade and Chris before taking on the Great Ocean Road. Before doing this we needed some wheels so we set about making that our first priority. After getting our heads around confusing licensing laws and 'roadworthiness' we finally found a 'beaut' in our 1993 Toyota Camry Station Wagon.

In between looking for cars, we spent a great day exploring the beach side neighbourhood of St. Kilda and went along to the MCG to watch the second one-day international between Australia and New Zealand.

This was our first Australian sporting experience, and it was certainly full of drama. We sat in block M13, which we later found out is notorious for being the 'bogan' (chav) section of the ground - no wonder we saw so much action. The crowd was lively to say the least, and we heard lots of amusing chants, saw various fights, and even witnessed two streakers running on to the pitch! The cricket was pretty good too!

The day after the cricket (Saturday) was Ellie's leaving do. It also coincided with the hottest day in Melbourne's history; a 'breezy' 46.4 deg.C! After spending most of the day viewing and buying our car, we were glad to step out of the oven and into Ellie's house where the air conditioning and a few cold beers were waiting!

The party was excellent and it was great to meet so many of Ellie's friends. We also enjoyed the Sambuca fuelled dancing, but we are proud to say that the English were the last standing (or were they Jen?)

Christchurch

2009-02-17T07:58:00.003Z

We took the scenic route from Akaroa to Christchurch stopping off at Diamond Harbour and New Brighton Beach (for a walk and picnic) before getting our first glimpse of the city. We hadn't planned it, but we arrived in Christchurch for the last weekend of the World Buskers Festival; as we strolled into Cathedral Square 'Cirque No Problem' were performing the world's only free-standing trapeze act!

The next day we had to bid farewell to our little green car! This meant somehow fitting seven weeks of 'clutter' that had gathered in the car into our little tent...a bit of a squash! Having cleaned the car up and delivered it back to the rental company, we decided to make the most of being in a city, so we went to the cinema! We saw Seven Pounds, which we highly recommend - get the tissues ready!

On Sunday we decided to explore the city fully. We followed a walking tour route suggested in one of the local leaflets we'd picked up and managed to take in most of the sights. We particularly enjoyed walking along the river bank and through the botanical gardens.

We watched the marathon five set Aussie Open final that evening/morning so we had a much needed lie-in the next day. On our final day in New Zealand Jen got her hair cut and we did all of our laundry ready for Australia!

Overall, we have had a great time in New Zealand and have seen and done so many amazing things that it's hard to pick a favourite...

Next stop - Australia!

The Banks Peninsula

2009-01-28T10:29:00.004Z

After our great trip inland to Mount Cook we made our way east to a small town on the Banks Peninsula (south of Christchurch) called Akaroa. Having had a hectic time over the last six weeks we decided to have a few lazy days to wind down. We found a nice campsite overlooking the small harbour and town. We spent two full days here, spending our time exploring the town, reading our books, playing cards, and watching the Aussie Open. We left fully refreshed and ready to take on Christchurch!

Mount Cook National Park

2009-01-28T10:27:00.003Z

We had one more stop to make before reaching Mt. Cook National Park and that was at Moeraki, where we visited the Penguin Hospital (we finally saw a Yellow-Eyed Penguin even if it did have a limp!) and the Moeraki Boulders.

The drive approaching Mount Cook was awesome. As the huge mountain loomed closer we had some great views of it with Lake Pukaki in the foreground.

The DOC campsite was basic but in idyllic surroundings - not a bad place to pitch your tent for the night! We were up early in the morning to do the popular three hour walk through the Hooker Valley to Hooker Lake at the base of Mount Cook. We had perfect clear weather and the place to ourselves. The highest peak in NZ looked absolutely stunning with the morning sunlight illuminating the snow.

In the afternoon we stopped off at the Mount John Observatory which overlooked the beautifully turquoise Lake Tekapo - not a bad place for a coffee! We then stopped briefly for a few touristy photos at the Church of the Good Shepherd before making the long journey to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula.

Dunedin & The Otago Peninsula

2009-01-28T10:25:00.001Z

After a brief stop at Kaka Point we arrived in Dunedin at around lunchtime. After a bite to eat we set out to have a nosy around the city before enjoying a relaxing evening on the campsite.

The next day we headed out of the city and along to the head of the peninsula. We cut back along the High Cliff Road where we stopped off at Sandfly Bay for a walk and the chance to see some wildlife. Again, we missed the penguins (wrong time of day) but managed to see loads of lazy sea lions basking in the sun! We watched from the hide at the end of the beach for a while then made our way back up the steep dunes to the car park. After a brief stop at St. Kilda Beach and Dunedin's centre, we drove back to the campsite for a few beers.

The following morning we had a long journey ahead of us as our next destination was Mount Cook National Park. However, we decided to make one last stop in Dunedin and visit the Sports Hall of Fame which is located inside the impressive railway station. The museum, although small, was full of interesting displays, facts, figures, and memorabilia collected from New Zealand's sporting heroes - well worth the NZ$5 entry!

The Catlins

2009-01-24T02:39:00.003Z

From Manapouri we headed straight for Invercargill where we took the opportunity to stock up on supplies. We then made our way to McLean Falls on the Catlins coastline where we had planned to spend a couple of days. The day after we arrived we planned to have a lazy day, but it never seems to work out as planned!

The first stop of the day was at the quirky Lost Gypsy Art Gallery. This was a brilliant collection of automata, memorabilia, and things you can press, pull or play with! From here we stopped at Tautuku Bay where we enjoyed a long walk on the golden sands of this deserted beach; unbelievable to have such a beautiful beach to ourselves!

We went back to the campsite, enjoyed a long lunch, and read our books before heading back out again for a couple more walks. First up was the 40min return to McLean Falls, followed by a walk to the Cathedral Caves. The caves can only be explored at low tide so when we arrived in the evening (at low tide) the conditions were also really good for taking a few photographs.

The next day we set off for Dunedin with plans to make a couple of stops along the way; Nugget Point and Kaka Point. At Nugget Point we made the short walk to the lighthouse where we got a great view out across the 'nuggets' as well as being able to see seals and sea lions playing on the rocks below. Unfortunately we were there at around 11am and so missed the opportunity to see the Yellow Eyed Penguins that are frequent visitors to the area.

Doubtful Sound

2009-01-22T01:24:00.003Z

After an early night, we woke early for our kayak trip on the sound. We were at the office for 7.30am and had set off by 8am. To get to the remote Doubtful Sound we first had to take a 45min boat journey across Lake Manapouri before a further 40min bus journey (with hot chocolate) to Deep Cove, our departure point. We knew it was going to be a great day when as soon as we got in our kayak we were joined in the water by a friendly pod of about fifteen bottlenose dolphins!

The weather was typical for Fiordland (it rains over 260 days of the year and averages over 8m annually), so at least we got an authentic experience made all the more worthwhile by the huge number of waterfalls that are only in action after heavy rainfall. We paddled in our double kayak for almost three hours down the sound before boarding the small boat (that had gone on ahead of us) for lunch.

After lunch we kayaked for another three hours as we made our way past 'Mini Mitre' peak and down Hall Arm. It was great to experience the unbelievable surroundings and tranquility of the sound from water level, especially with the knowledge that we were the only six people on the sound and probably for miles around. For us, this 'remoteness' made it more spectacular and remarkable than the touristy and busier Milford Sound.

Milford Sound

2009-01-22T01:09:00.002Z

The morning after Mount Luxmore we took our time and made our way from Te Anau to Milford Sound along the scenic Milford Road. Along the way there were loads of scenic lookouts and short walks that offered great views of the mountains and valleys.

We decided to go for the three hour walk to Lake Marian (we weren't aching too badly from the day before) and certainly weren't disappointed. It was roughly an hour walk through muddy steep-sided woodland before we arrived at the beautiful turquoise lake that was surrounded by huge daunting peaks on all sides; it was amazing! After a quick bite to eat we retraced our footsteps to the car park and continued to Milford Sound.

We got to Milford Lodge and set up camp in the early evening before enjoying a relaxed evening in the cosy lounge area. We were up early the next day, as we had booked a 2 hour cruise through the sound. The boat journey was really good and offered us an opportunity to see Mitre Peak and some of the fantastic waterfalls up close.

After the cruise we made our way back along the Milford Road towards Te Anau. We made one last stop at the end of the Routeburn Track where we completed another 3 hour walk up to Key Summit. Unfortunately the weather didn't allow us the spectacular views of Fiordland that you can usually get from the summit, but it was a nice walk and good to stretch our legs (again!)

Our final destination that day was Manapouri. We booked into a campsite and prepared for our kayaking trip through Doubtful Sound.

Te Anau & Mount Luxmore

2009-01-22T00:48:00.004Z

We arrived in Te Anau early from Queenstown giving us plenty of time to set up camp, take a short walk by the lake, and explore the small town.

The next morning we were up at 6am, as we had a long day ahead of us. We had decided to walk the first section of the 'Kepler Track'; Mount Luxmore and back. The plan was to walk from the Control Gates to Luxmore Hut, but having arrived here in under half the advertised time, we decided to make for the summit. It was grey and misty as we came out of the treeline but as soon as we reached the top, at exactly midday, the sun came out and gave us some magnificent views.

It was cold on the top too (hence Jen's new Eskimo look). We didn't want to get too cold so we had a quick lunch, took a few pictures and started the descent. It wasn't until halfway back that we started to feel quite tired, and the last few kilometres were a real struggle. When we got back to the car we were shattered. We worked out how far we had walked in the nine hours since our departure and realised that it was at least 35kms (22 miles)!

We went back to the campsite and had a well deserved shower and some nice cold beers! Next stop...Milford Sound

Queenstown

2009-01-22T00:43:00.003Z

After a great time in Wanaka, we headed south to Queenstown - the adrenaline capital of the world! Unfortunately, our activities budget was running low so we decided to enjoy some of the other things on offer in the town i.e. beer and burgers!

We spent the first day exploring the town to see what was on offer, then we headed back to the campsite to shower and have a few Tui's. In the evening we went back out into town for dinner (a real treat!) and indulged ourselves at the famous 'Fergburger' restaurant (thanks Ellie and Katherine for the tip!) They were the biggest and best burgers we have ever had. Joe's was called the 'Big Al' and had everything you could imagine, and everything you couldn't imagine, between two pieces of bread! Afterwards we headed to a couple of popular night spots for some locally brewed beer.

The next day we had planned a walk near Glenorchy, but due to hangovers and poor weather we decided a nice drive would suit us better! We drove along the extremely scenic road to Glenorchy and back with a spot of lunch halfway.

We left Queenstown the day after having had a good time but realising that without money to burn on activities and nightlife, the town offers little else; we were looking forward to Fiordland and some good mountain walks...

Wanaka

2009-01-16T04:09:00.003Z

The first evening in Wanaka was an interesting trip to the town's unique cinema. The single screen was operated by a bloke who had to change the film reel halfway through (so we had an oldskool intermission). This wasn't a bad thing though as we got to eat home-made cookies and ice cream in our comfy sofas. The film was a bit weird but the whole experience was great fun!

Our first full day in Wanaka was a 'relaxing day'. We woke up late, had lunch on the lakeside, and took a dip in the freezing glacial lake. In the evening (because it was too hot during the day) we went for a walk.

We chose to do the Diamond Lake loop track that takes you to the top of Rocky Mountain. This was a three hour round trip which gave us brilliant views of the surrounding peaks and valleys (not to mention Lake Wanaka). It was great to do it at this time of day as the sun cast long shadows and we were the only people for miles around.

The next day we had planned a more challenging walk to the summit of nearby Mount Roy (1600m/5280 ft). It was a hard slog to the top but once we were there the views were incredible. It was another clear morning and we had a 360 deg. panoramic of Mount Aspiring and Lake Wanaka.

Having set off early, we were back in the town by 2pm to enjoy the day and rest our weary legs. Next stop Queenstown for a Fergburger!

Fox Glacier & Lake Matheson

2009-01-16T03:52:00.002Z

We arrived at Fox Glacier early evening after the excellent day we had had at Franz Josef Glacier. We found a nice campsite and relaxed during the evening; the following day we were going to be busy again!

We were up at 6am as we hoped to get perfect conditions for our visit to Lake Matheson. On a clear still morning the reflections of Mount Cook and it's surrounding peaks are said to be second to none. Unfortunately (see below), it was a misty morning and the only reflections we got were of the nearest treeline. Nevertheless, it was nice to be up early and enjoy a lovely walk without anyone around.

After having a shower and packing up the tent we made our way to the terminal face of Fox Glacier. Although we didn't pay for a trip onto the ice, we walked as far as was advised and could tell that it was very different to Franz Josef, yet equally spectacular. Overall, we really enjoyed our time in the Glacier Region but it was now time to move further into the Southern Alps.

We made the long journey down to Wanaka (with a stop for bacon and eggs!) and planned to stay for three nights...

Franz Josef Glacier

2009-01-11T10:07:00.003Z

We arrived early evening into the Glacier Region and headed straight into the township of Franz Josef for a briefing before our glacier hike the next morning. After, we went to the foot of the glacier for a short walk and a quick preview before making our way to the campsite to pitch our tent for the night.

We woke to a glorious day and a punctured tyre. After a little while of stressing out about what we should do we managed to get it sorted out and arranged for a lift into town for our tour onto the glacier. We got kitted out with boots, crampons and raincoats and took the bus to the start of the walk. It took an hour to walk through the valley and reach the terminal face. We then put on our crampons and began our ascent of the ice.

It was a fantastic experience to be stood on so much ice and the views were spectacular. The guide explained all about the glacier as well as creating a safe path for us to trek on glacier (this often included cutting out steps in the ice as we went along). The highlight was squeezing through a small crack in the ice where we were able to see ice that was so compacted that it appeared blue.

After our great glacier experience we did our laundry, got the car fixed ($75!) and were on our way!

Punakaiki, Pancake Rocks & Hokitika

2009-01-11T10:00:00.003Z

The next couple of days were 'driving days' as we headed from the Abel Tasman down the West Coast towards the Glacier Region. However, we made a one night stop off at Punakaiki where we visited the famous Pancake Rocks and blowholes.

The blowholes only work at high tide, and only work well if there is a strong south-westerly swell. However, we got some good pictures of the sea smashing the rocks and the water spurting through the blowholes.

It was a nice place to make an overnight stop - the pub served great local ale!

The next day we continued south along the West Coast and found Hokitika. Although famed for the green stone jewellery, we enjoyed having a picnic here and looking around a fantastic fine art photography workshop.

Abel Tasman National Park

2009-01-11T09:59:00.010Z

After a short stop in Nelson to pick up supplies we made our way north to Marahau - the gateway to the Abel Tasman. We enjoyed a nice evening walking along the beach before getting an early night; we had a long walk planned for the morning.

The next day we booked a water taxi to take us to Bark Bay (there are no roads) so that we could take the long walk back to Marahau (approx. 6 hours). The boat ride out gave us our first glimpses of this incredible coastline as well some of the marine life such as seals basking on the rocks.

When we arrived at Bark Bay we were amazed at how turquoise the waters were and how golden the sand was - it was unbelievable!

We followed the coastal track from Bark Bay all the way back to the town, stopping off along the way at Torrent Bay, Anchorage Bay and many other little secluded bays and coves. The views were stunning all day and we were lucky to get some excellent weather.

Marlborough Sounds

2009-01-11T09:59:00.008Z

After arriving in Picton we headed north along the scenic Queen Charlotte Drive and up into the Sounds. The drive was absolutely stunning as we winded our way through the headlands. The coastline, beaches, and bays displayed some beautiful colours as the weather was perfect.

We arrived at Nikau Cove late afternoon and pitched our tent at the tiny DOC campsite. We had a lovely lazy afternoon enjoying the peace and beauty of the place. The next morning we took a quick walk down to Mistletoe Bay before heading on to Nelson and then the Abel Tasman National Park.

Wellington & Cook Strait

2009-01-11T09:45:00.003Z

We arrived in Wellington the same day that we had done the walk at the base of Mt. Taranaki. It had been a long day so we decided to pitch up our tent and save any exploring for the next day. The picture below is of Wellington harbour at sunset.

After a little lie-in we took the bus into the city and headed straight for the famous Te Papa Museum. The Te Papa is New Zealand's national museum and contains a staggering number of fantastic modern exhibitions , a lot of which are interactive. We had to do it in two stints as it was massive; so we had a lunch break in the middle. Our particular favourites were the Colossal Squid (eyes as big as footballs) and Awesome Forces.

The next day we set sail from Wellington to Picton across the Cook Strait, leaving the North Island behind. It was a smooth crossing and the scenery as we approached the South Island through the Queen Charlotte Sound was amazing. We were excited about new adventures in the South Island; first stop Marlborough Sounds!

Taranaki & Egmont National Park

2009-01-05T05:58:00.005Z

From the caves we headed south to Taranaki, stopping at a small village called Mokau for a well deserved night's sleep. In the morning we woke up to an horrendous storm so we packed up in the lashing rain and headed down to New Plymouth in hope of better weather.

By the afternoon it had cleared up enough to enjoy a walk along the coastal track before heading to Stratford (at the edge of Egmont National Park), where we camped for the night.

The following morning we packed up camp early and drove to Dawson Falls at the base of Mt. Taranaki (see below). Thankfully the sun was shining and we were able to do a brilliant 4 hour circular walk at the base of the mountain. The walk included stunning views of the mountain and the Taranaki Plains, as well as an 'interesting' swing bridge.

By the time we had finished our walk and had a picnic it was getting late and we had a long drive ahead of us - next stop Wellington!

Waitomo Caves - The Black Abyss

2009-01-05T05:56:00.003Z

After travelling from Raglan on the morning of the 2nd January, we arrived at Waitomo Caves ready to start our journey into the caves. The caves are primarily famous for the intriguing glowworms that hang from the ceiling illuminating the caves like stars on a clear night.

However, we didn't want to just look at a few glowworms so we decided on a more adventurous trip - it didn't disappoint! We went with the Black Water Rafting Company on their 'Black Abyss' tour. This was a five hour journey into the caves starting with a 37m abseil into and through a small black hole in the ground! Having survived stage one, we scrambled 20m through the cave and promptly did a 'flying fox' (zip line) in the dark - Jen's scream is still echoing through the caves now!

Before plunging into the icy water, we took off our harnesses and had hot chocolate and flapjack with our legs dangling over the edge. We then took a leap of faith as we jumped 5m into an underground plunge pool with our black inner tubes firmly held around our bums!

With the adrenalin seemingly over for the time being, we braved the freezing water and paddled upstream further into the cave. This was a fantastic opportunity to see the glowworms and other cave features such as stalagmites and stalactites.

After the tubing, we headed through the cave on foot; clambering through tiny holes and swimming through icy cold deep pools. Before resurfacing we had to climb up two underground waterfalls without ropes or harness. This was one of the highlights, but the whole trip was great fun and really challenging.

Raglan

2009-01-03T00:20:00.002Z

We arrived in the surf town of Raglan on New Year's Eve and pitched our tent at the Solscape Eco Reserve, which overlooked the surf from the cliff top. We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere as our evening consisted of a beautiful curry, plenty of beers, and a few games of cards with some of our fellow travelers.

The first day of 2009 started in great fashion, as we spent the day catching some waves at Ngarunui Beach. The conditions were a bit messy and our rental 'boats' (surfboards) didn't quite do the job, but it was really nice to be back in the water and we had a great time. Unfortunately we were so relaxed that we forgot to take any pictures! More to follow soon, we promise!

Rotorua

2009-01-02T23:57:00.003Z

On our way from Taupo to Rotorua we stopped off at Orakei Korako Thermal Reserve. We did an hour and a half boardwalk through the geothermal area where the BBC filmed 'Walking With Dinosaurs'. There were various geothermal features such as boiling hot mud pools, spurting geysers, caves, and the famous Artists Palette (see below).

It was a rainy afternoon so we relaxed our aching bodies in the campsite's natural hot mineral pools. The next day (although still rainy) we ventured out to Kaurau Park, the Government Gardens, and the small town of Rotorua before doing a nice walk around the Blue Lake and Redwood Forest in the afternoon.

In the evening we were joined by Daisy (finally) and enjoyed catching up and chatting with a few beers at the campsite. After a cosy nights sleep (three in a tent), we drove out to Tarawera Lake for a refreshing dip and a cup of coffee before saying our goodbyes. The lake looked beautiful now that the sun was shining... Next stop - Raglan!

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

2009-01-02T23:34:00.003Z

After the high of the skydive we woke up at 5am the next morning in order to catch the shuttle to the start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing; an 18km walk through a volcanic region of the national park where parts of Lord of the Rings were filmed (including the location of Mount Doom! - see below).

It was a great walk and very unique in terms of the landscape and the views. We decided to take the side track to the summit of Mount Tongariro where we were rewarded with excellent views of Mount Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom) and the South Crater.

After descending and rejoining the main track we ascended over Red Crater and down to the Emerald Lakes. After the lakes we had lunch before making our way past Blue Lake and then descending down to Ketetahi to complete a long but excellent day.

Taupo Skydive From 15,000ft... (Videos)

2008-12-27T07:22:00.004Z

If you have a weak stomach, look away now! Best thing we have ever done in our lives!!

Taupo Skydive From 15,000ft... (Photos)

2008-12-27T07:00:00.007Z

What was that? Throw yourself out of a plane from 15,000ft? Go on then!!

Waihi Beach Xmas 2008

2008-12-26T02:36:00.004Z

After arriving at Waihi Beach late evening on Xmas Eve we cracked open the beers to get in the festive spirit, but only once we had pitched the tent and had a dip in the hot tub!

The next day (Xmas Day) we woke up and had a leisurely breakfast followed by a nice walk along the beach - we could tell it was going to be a scorcher!

In the afternoon we packed up a picnic of cheese and wine and walked over the headland to Orokawa Bay - a beautiful secluded beach. It was a strange place to spend Xmas but we had an amazing day relaxing and swimming in the sea.

In the evening we cooked a BBQ of lamb chops, sausages, baked potato, and corn on the cob. This was washed down with quite a few beers and followed by mince pie and custard (the taste of home!)

After ringing home and realising they were just starting their day, we went to bed having had a fantastic yet unusual Xmas day!

The Coromandel Peninsula

2008-12-26T02:32:00.004Z

It was a long day from Trounson Kauri Park to Coromandel Town but as soon as we hit the peninsula we knew it was worth it. The last 50km were a stunning drive as we twisted and turned along small coastal roads before arriving at Shelly Beach campsite 5km north of Coromandel.

The day after we planned to do a minimal amount of driving so we could enjoy the terrific beaches and just chill out a little! Hot Water Beach was our first stop. Supposedly, this 'thermal' beach is meant to give you a nice hot pool of water if you dig a hole in the sand. After hiring a spade and an awful lot of digging we had nothing but a pool of cold water. Despite the lack of thermal pools we enjoyed watching the surf and picnicking at this lovely beach.

We then moved onto Cathedral Cove. It's a 45min walk from the car park to the cove, and well worth it. The beach had turquoise waters and white sands in the backdrop of a large spit and archway - stunning!

From here we headed to Waihi where we had planned to stay over Xmas.

Cape Reinga

2008-12-26T02:27:00.004Z

After the boat trip in the Bay of Islands and an early call out to the AA (faulty aircon!) we spent the afternoon making our way up to the northernmost part of New Zealand - Cape Reinga. Again, we made numerous stops along the way including a walk along the beach and a coffee at Cooper's Bay. Finally, just before it started to get dark we arrived at Te Paki Recreation Reserve where we pitched our tent at a DOC campsite in a beautiful secluded bay.

In the morning we headed straight for the famous lighthouse at the end of the cape. We were afforded incredible 360 deg. views of beaches, headlands and seas. Particularly, it was amazing to watch the Pacific and Tasman seas collide and create huge waves in the middle of the ocean!

From here we made our way south stopping off at Ninety Mile Beach, Omapere, and the impressive Waipoua Forest which has ancient Kauri trees of which some are over 2000 years old and 16m in width! We camped in the forest overnight at the nearby DOC in Trounson Kauri Park then made the huge journey to Coromandel the next day.

Bay of Islands

2008-12-26T02:26:00.004Z

After picking up our hire car we headed north towards the Bay of Islands. It was great to have the freedom of the open road and go literally wherever we liked. We planned to make a few stops along the way. Our first stop was Mangawhai Heads; a beautiful beach where we had a picnic on the rocks.

Along the way we stopped at many beaches and headlands to take pictures and marvel at the scenery but the next notable stop off was at Whangarei where we did a short walk to the waterfalls which were very nice but hard to take seriously after Iguassu!

Our evening was spent at a nice campsite in Paihia where we had booked a trip to swim with dolphins in the bay for the next day.

The trip was fantastic! Although we didn't get the opportunity to swim with the dolphins, we were lucky enough to see three pods together culminating in over fifty dolphins. It was great to watch as the dolphins followed the boat and played along as we made arm gestures and put our noses over the edge.

As well as the dolphins, the scenery was amazing; crystal clear waters, golden deserted sands, and lush green islands - truly a remarkable place!

Auckland

2008-12-26T02:21:00.006Z

We arrived in Auckland after a 14 hour flight and the loss of a day (due to crossing the international date line) but were warmly welcomed by Tina and Craig in Papatoetoe. We stayed in Auckland for two days before we got our hire car and headed off on our road trip.

We made sure to explore the city but only after taking the passenger ferry across the bay to Devonport. Here we enjoyed great views of the city, walking and lounging on the beach, and a fish and chip lunch!

We would like to extend our thanks to Tina and Craig for having us to stay, we had a great time!

Bariloche (Ruta de los Siete Lagos)

2008-12-12T14:32:00.007Z

On our return from Colonia Suiza we decided to hire bikes for three days in order to further explore the surrounding lakes and mountains of Bariloche. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into...

Day one of the ride started well and we had a great morning of cycling alongside the Rio Limay. We followed the path of the turqouise river before passing through the Valle Encantado, where there were lots of impressive rock formations. The route was very scenic and the good conditions ensured we could enjoy the suroundings whilst also notching up 70km by lunchtime. After a sandwich and some mechanical assistance from the locals we left Confluencia for Villa Traful at around 3pm. Needless to say the afternoon did't go so smoothly...

The 35km long rubble road from Confluencia to Villa Traful was awful. It was rough, rocky and dusty - very demoralising. We struggled for nearly four hours in the scorching sunshine and when we ran out of water we decided to hitch a ride for the final 6km. Exhausted from the first day we had a quick dinner and an early night.

On the second day we woke up aching and tired so we were a little bit nervous at the prospect of a further 45km on the rubble road towards Villa La Angostura. Fortunately the road conditions improved a little and it was a much cooler day, so progress was steady, even if the ride was still a little bumpy! We were both very relieved when we reached the tarmac road that would lead us into Villa La Angostura – Joe was infact so pleased that he kissed the tarmac! After almost 80kms on the rubble road the final 15km into the town was very smooth and was a nice way to end another hard day. Two days of cycling had left us very tired, so we had another quick dinner with a few beers and then bed.

We were both really looking forward to the final day as it was tarmac all the way and the man in the bike shop had informed us that it was mostly downhill with a tailwind – he was very wrong. There seemed to be an endless number of long hills, and with the wind in our faces for the third day in a row, it was a very long and hard ride. However, the scenery was absolutely stunning as we rode along the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake and could look back at the snowcapped mountains behind us. We arrived back in Bariloche at around 4pm after a further 80km, with very tired legs and sore bottoms! We celebrated our completion of the circuit with two huge argentinian steaks and some lovely red wine.

In hindsight, the route we chose was probably a little ambitious (250km in total with 80km on harsh rubble roads), but we both really enjoyed the challenge and found the trip massively rewarding. We saw some spectacular scenery as we cycled through lush valleys, past numerous lakes and dramatic snowcapped mountains. It was a great way to see the area and was a lot of good fun.

We are now back in Bariloche recovering from the exertions of the last few days. Next stop New Zealand...

Bariloche (Colonia Suiza)

2008-12-08T21:48:00.005Z

We arrived in Bariloche after a twenty hour bus journey from Buenos Aires. After spending five nights in the city we were looking forward to the beautiful scenery and enjoying the outdoor activities.

After a good nights sleep at Hostel Arko we headed an hour down the road to Colonia Suiza, where we pitched our tent at Camping SER. Our plan was to use the campsite as a base for doing some of the best treks in the area.

On our first full day in Colonia Suiza we set off early to trek up Cerro Lopez to the refugio. The path was very steep, but with each step the views got better and better. Once we reached the refugio (mountain hut) we were the only people there, yet we still managed to order spaghetti bolognese for lunch. We enjoyed our dinner whilst taking in the spectacular panoramic views of the lakes and surrounding mountains.

Our second day at Colonia Suiza was spent recovering and relaxing. We read our books and played cards by the lakeside and in the evening we were invited for 'Asado' (Argentinian BBQ) with our hosts.

The third and fourth days were spent doing a two day trek to Refugio Italia at Laguna Negra. The first part of the 14km walk was through the valley, alongside the river, and under the trees, before the incline started and the hard work began. However, we were rewarded at the top with beautiful views of at least six surrounding snowcapped peaks which overshadowed the lagoon.

We spent the afternoon relaxing by the lagoon and marvelling at the views. In the evening we enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and good food in the refugio, before crashing into bed knowing we had the 14km walk back in the morning.

After five great days in and around Colonia Suiza we headed back to Bariloche to prepare for our impending mammoth bike ride...

Buenos Aires

2008-12-08T21:29:00.005Z

After the amazing natural beauty of the Iguassu Falls we were a bit sceptical about returning to a big city, but Buenos Aires certainly lived up to its billing as one of South America's best cities, and we spent five great days there.

We explored a different neighbourhood each day, covering the Microcenter, Recoleta, Palermo and San Telmo. We found that Buenos Aires is a very diverse city, with each neighbourhood offering something completely different. We did some shopping in the Microcenter, enjoyed a coffee in the upmarket Recoleta, strolled through the parks of Palermo, and explored the lively antiques market in San Telmo.

Notably, during our day in Palermo we had just decided to make our way back to the hostel when the heavens opened. Within minutes the roads were like rivers and people were wading through without shoes on and kids were rubber ringing down the street! After sheltering for nearly an hour we decided to make a run for it. However, when we got to the tube station it was shut due to the sheer volume of water that had fallen. We eventually got back to the hostel another hour later via bus and completely soaked through!

Our most memorable experience in Buenos Aires was going to watch Boca Juniors vs. Racing Club at the Boca Stadium. The stadium was plastered in colorful flags, the atmosphere was electric throughout, and the fans were jumping, singing and banging the drums for the entire ninety minutes. It was an amazing experience to be in such an intense crowd; to see them climb the fences and light their flares when a goal went in was unbelievable. The game finished 2-1 to Boca, and despite the away fans attempts to throw urine on us we came away from the game unscathed.

Still on a high from the game and wanting to make the most of our last night in the city we headed out for a steak dinner with our room mate Alan. Incredibly we had to queue to be seated at the restaurant despite it being near on 11pm. However, it was worth the wait, as we had a gorgeous meal to end our time in Buenos Aires.

Iguazù Falls (Argentina)

2008-11-26T13:05:00.005Z

After seeing the falls from the Brazilian side we were both really excited to see the Argentinian side, which are well known to be more spectacular. We woke early as we had a trip booked for 9.45am and we got to the national park for opening at 9am.

Our Jungle Explorer 'Gran Adventura' included a jeep ride through the jungle down to the riverside, where we boarded a boat which took us upstream through the rapids and towards the waterfalls. After the peaceful boat ride towards the falls we soon found ourselves directly beneath them, soaking wet and feeling the enormous power as they roared straight on top of us! This was a brilliant start to the day.

After the tour we took another boat across to San Martin Island, which gave us some fantastic views of the falls from a variety of different angles. We were really lucky to get this opportunity as water levels often mean the island is closed.

From the island we made our way back across to the mainland where we started the tour of the lower circuit of the falls. This circuit is designed to give you a close up experience of the falls and you can really feel the sheer force and volume of the water.

After lunch we made our way to the upper circuit where the views were completely different yet just as rewarding. We were standing at the level of the upper tributaries just as the water was falling over the top. The circuit had lots of different walk ways and viewpoints and we took our time marvelling at every one.

We had been advised to save the best part until last, so we were excited as we boarded the electric train for 'Garganta del Diablo' (The Devil's Throat). Although we had seen this from the Brazilian side, nothing could prepare us for standing at the very top and experiencing the ferocity as the water crashed over the edge. We were soaked through from the spray but it was so spectacular that all you could do was keep looking over the edge in amazement.

In addition to the majestic falls the park also has a lot of great wildlife, and we saw many colorful butterflies and huge lizards. The two days we have spent in the Iguassu National Park have been two of the best days of the trip so far.

Iguaçu Falls (Brazil)

2008-11-24T19:31:00.005Z

After a nice relaxing day at Hostel Bambu in Foz do Iguaçu we set off early to see the Brazilian side of the falls.

We had been told that the Argentinian side was more spectacular but that it was important to see the Brazilian side first in order to gain an appreciation for the size of these falls. The falls are over 60m high and cover a length of 2.7km.

When we got there we were in awe and could not believe that it could possibly be better on the other side. We took the walkway along the riverside and into 'The Devil's Throat'. Along the way there were numerous viewpoints where we stopped to take pictures.

As we got closer to the main falls there were paths leading into the middle of the falls where you could feel the power as the spray kicked up and soaked us through. The whole experience took about three hours, and at the end we were excited at the prospect of visiting the Argentinian side in a couple of days.

We decided to make a full day of it so we crossed over the road to Parque das Aves (Bird Park). The park had many different species of birds, including flamingos, toucans, parrots and a whole variety of exotic birds we had never seen nor heard of before. The day was an absolute scorcher so we were pleased to be in the shade of the trees as we looked around.

We headed back to the hostel and relaxed by the pool for the rest of the day.

Sao Paulo

2008-11-24T18:38:00.004Z

We arrived in Sao Paulo early after an overnight flight from Lima. We had plans to stay with our friend Patricia who we had met in the Canadian Rockies. From the airport we headed straight to her apartment where we received a warm welcome.

Although we were tired from the flight we had a really good first day. We went out for a lovely lunch at a typical Brazilian churrascaria (steakhouse) where we got our first taste of the amazing beef. After a well needed afternoon nap (life is tough) we went out for some beers and empanadas and got a look at the city by night.

The next day we headed to the beaches surrounding the town of Ubatuba, where we ended up spending two nights. The road trip ensured we saw a number of different beaches, including Almada, Felix, Almada Brava and many other secluded spots. Unfortunately the Brazilian weather let us down, but we still got chance to walk along the beaches and enjoy the views from the great beach bars!

After the first two days on the beach we headed south in search of sun and to meet up with Fabricio and Carlos. We stayed at Carlos' cousins' apartment where Carlos prepared us a fantastic BBQ and taught us the traditional Brazilian card game called Truco. This, combined with a healthy number of beers, saw us roll into bed at 4am.

To our amazement the sun was shining the next day so we headed to Maresias beach for a true Brazilian beach experience. It was a lovely beach with golden sand and clear blue sea. We enjoyed watching the many surfers, and were disappointed that there was nowhere to hire a board. Instead we chilled out and tried some of the exotic drinks from the beach bar.

After the beach we headed back to the apartment and cooked another BBQ and drank more beers. We had a great time at the beach but had to get back to Sao Paulo to catch our onward bus to Foz do Iguaçu. We had a farewell lunch back in the city and then said goodbye and thank you to Patricia and Fabricio for showing us such a good time in Sao Paulo.

Last Night In Lima

2008-11-22T20:59:00.007Z

After a few very relaxed days in Cusco we took a twenty hour bus ride back to Lima to complete our loop around Peru.

We were once again back in Miraflores and despite being tired we got in touch with Monica and Manolo for one last night out in Peru. We went for a lovely meal at the Larcomar shopping complex where we tried anticuchos (cow heart) alongside other traditional peruvian dishes and washed down with four pisco sours!

It seemed rude to end the night there so we headed on to the nightclub for more pisco sours and some crazy dancing. It was an excellent way to end our time in Peru and it was a great night to remember.

Thanks again to Monica and Manolo - we hope to see you in England soon!

Salkantay Trek & Machu Picchu

2008-11-10T21:30:00.007Z

After a couple of days in Cusco to 'acclimatize' we set off on the Salkantay Trek (an alternative Inca trail) on November 6th. The Salkantay is a four day three night trip involving hiking on all four days and covering 53km in the first three days. We started at 4am in Cusco and got a bus to Mollepata - the starting point of our trek. After a brief breakfast we started hiking at approx. 8am.

The first day involved quite a bit of climbing (1000m to be exact) as we made our way to Soraypampa where we camped at an altitude of 3900m in the shadow of Mount Salkantay - it was pretty cold and we were glad of a warm meal and an early night after 9 hours walking.

The second day was the longest, hardest, but ultimately the most rewarding. We were up at 5.30am for coca tea and porridge and started walking at 6.30am. We made our way to the highest point of the trek known as the Salkantay Pass (4600m). As we approached this point it was hard going to say the least, each step was a massive effort and each breath didn't give you enough oxygen! However, the scenery was spectacular, especially the snowcapped Salkantay and the lush green valley behind us.

We were at the top of the Pass for 10.30am and although we were worn out we knew we still had another six hours to go. As the afternoon wore on the scenery began to change dramatically as we lost altitude and began to enter the jungle. We eventually arrived at our camp in Chaullay (2900m) at 5.30pm, which gave us time for a couple of well deserved beers before bed.

Day three started at 5.30am again, but was to be the shortest of the first three days. The five hour walk to our final destination Playa (2400m) was a beautiful hike through the jungle, where we saw numerous different types of vegetation and wildlife, including some amazing butterflies. After lunch at Playa we got the Hidroelectrica train to Aguas Calientes where we finally saw some civilisation, had a warm shower, and a comfy bed.

Day four was the day we had been waiting for - Machu Picchu. Eager to beat the crowds and get a valuable ticket for Wayna Picchu (the peak in the background of the famous Inca ruins), we set off at 4.15am. The asscent was hard going with over 1000 steps to climb. However, we were spurred on by what we were about to see and arrived at the gates at 5.30am - numbers 6 and 7 in the queue! As we were let through the gates it was well worth the early start as for the first 20 minutes or so we were able to witness the incredible site without people spoiling the view.

We headed straight for the entrance of Wayna Picchu and managed to get tickets 1 and 2 (they only allow 400 people in per day), which ensured that we would be able to climb the amazing peak and get the panaramic views of Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, and the surrounding landscape. We spent eight hours exploring and marvelling at this unbelievable place, but had to draw ourselves away around 2pm, as we were absolutely exhausted after four long days.

After an 'interesting' journey, we arrived in Cusco via Ollantaytambo at approx. 11.30pm on the fourth day and crashed into bed tired yet exhilerated from a truly incredible trek.

Next stop.... Sao Paulo, Brazil!

Puno & Lake Titicaca

2008-11-05T16:33:00.005Z

After our excellent trekking trip in the Colca Canyon our next destination was Puno and Lake Titicaca (yes Daddy.P after all your talk we finally made it!).

After the long bus ride from Arequipa we decided that we'd leave the exploring until later, so we stretched out in front of a few movies in our shared apartment in the hostel. After a brief venture out to the market we cooked our tea and had an early night. Puno was a very small but nice city, we spent our time here enjoying the lovely cakes served up at Ricos Pan, wandering through the many craft markets and generally taking it easy.

The following day we started our tour of some of the islands on Lake Titicaca. First stop was the impressive Uros Islands (Floating Islands), which are constructed entirely of reeds from the Lake. We had time to look around the houses of the inhabitants and take a boat ride across to one of the other islands.

From here it was a smooth three hours in the boat to Isla Amantani where we were greeted by our host family who would look after us for the rest of the day. This was a great experience if somewhat humbling. The conditions the family lived in were very basic and hygiene and cleaniless were not top priorities. However, they looked after us and fed us very well, and one of the highlights was the fiesta around the bonfire in the evening. We were dressed in the traditional clothing of the Island and enjoyed dancing to the sound of the local band!

After a yummy birthday breakfast of pancakes for Joe we made our way to Taquile Island, an hour from Amantani. From the port we walked around the Island to the main square. This provided us with some spectacular views of the hillside farming and Lake Titicaca. After lunch at a hilltop restaurant, we descended approximately 540 steps down to the principal port to board the boat back to Puno. Overall, the experience of visiting the Islands was fantastic and gave us a great insight into the way of life of the islanders.

Back in Puno we went for a lovely meal to celebrate Joe's birthday. After our huge pizzas, sickly cake, beers, and coffee we returned to the hostel exhausted from the last few days. Next stop Cusco...

Arequipa & Colca Canyon

2008-11-01T01:18:00.004Z

We arrived in Arequipa after a 12 hour night bus yet still on a high from the great time we had had in Huacachina. We were pretty tired so decided to check into our hostel (which was really nice) and get some supplies. Unfortunately when we got back to the hostel Joe collapsed into bed and didn't get up for 4 days - a stomach bug picked up from some dodgy food somewhere.

However, after a trip to the clinic and some expensive antibiotics he was back on the road to recovery and we were looking forward to exploring Arequipa and taking a trekking trip into the Colca Canyon. Arequipa was a really nice city and we enjoyed spending time walking in the Plaza de Armas, Jerusalem, and San Francisco.

On our 6th day in Arequipa we were up at 3.30am for our trip into the Colca Canyon. This was one of the highlights of the whole trip. On day 1 we passed through Chivay on our way to Cruz del Condor and Cabanaconde. After lunch, it was from Cabanaconde that we set off trekking into the canyon. It was a four and a half hour descent which was tough going on the knees but the views made up for the pain - they were spectacular! We finally arrived at our destination - a tiny little village deep in the bottom of the canyon - this was our biggest culture shock yet!

Day 2 started bright and early with some lovely pancakes served up by our guide, Victor. We then made our way through two more small villages, which included a tour of a museum (we use the term 'museum' in it's loosest sense). Throughout day 2 Victor also explained all the different types of plants, their medicinal properties, and how the locals use them. Our favourite was the 'white trumpet' which supposedly provides hallucinagenic affects for up to three days!

By the end of day 2 we had arrived in Paradise, literally. At the bottom of the canyon was a lush oasis with palm trees, a pool, and some interesting bamboo huts to sleep in! After diving straight into the pool we spent the afternoon fishing for trout in the river.

Day 3 was a hard slog back out of the canyon to Cabanaconde. Fortunately we were up at 5.30am and managed to avoid most of the sun's heat. Joe came within a whisker of the tourist record as he steamed up 6km of near vertical mountain in 1 hour 40 mins (the record was 1 hour 23mins). Jen followed 20mins later after a sprint finish to ensure that she beat the donkeys! Tired from 21km of walking over the last three days we finished the tour with a visit to the hot springs in Chivay followed by a brilliant buffet lunch.

We arrived back in Arequipa at around 6.00pm and relaxed prior to our journey to Puno and Lake Titicaca the following day.

Huacachina & Ica

2008-10-26T16:33:00.003Z

After a hectic start to our time in Peru we headed to the desert oasis of Huacachina for some chill out time and sandboarding.

We spent the majority of our time at our hostel (Huacachinero) lazing around the pool, reading our books and conversing with the amazing parrots that roamed the site. We were lucky to meet two nice Dutch and Canadian couples, so it was cool to share some travel stories and tips over a few beers.

The highlight of Huacachina came on the second afternoon where we headed out on a dune-buggy and sandboarding trip. This was a brilliant trip which well exceeded our expectations. As we reached the dunes we suddenly realised what a vast area they covered, and the views were incredible.

The dune buggy ride which followed was an adrenaline fueled experience as we swerved, jumped and fell down the sheer drops of the dunes. We stopped at various steep slopes, took to our sandboards and zoomed down them at break neck speed. We returned back to the hotel with sand everywhere, but it was definitely one of the best activities on the trip to date.

The next morning we got up early and headed into Ica to watch the famous religious procession that takes place in the city in late October every year. It was a crazy experience. The streets were packed with particularly poor people who were unbelievably devoted to their religion. The colorful street paintings, flickering candles and decorative float made it a real visual spectacle.

We chilled out for the rest of the day in preparation for our long overnight bus to Arequipa.

Lima & San Bartolo

2008-10-25T18:18:00.010+01:00

After a day of delays in L.A. (the motor on the plane had broken) we finally arrived in Lima still recovering from Las Vegas and a few hours behind Han and Becky who had been expecting us to already be there. Our first Peruvian experience was to take a taxi from the airport to the hostel - it was absolute madness, swerving in and out of the other taxis and putting on the fake police sirens to clear the traffic - we arrived in one piece, just.

We had booked into B&B Tradiciones - a brilliant family run hostel with Angelo at the helm - the most helpful owner of a hostel we had ever met! We got a good nights sleep and woke in the morning to greet Han and Becky. After a history lesson from Angelo we set out to explore Miraflores (a nicer suburb of Lima) including Parque Amor, the lighthouse, the cliffside, and lunch at a brilliant fish restaurant called Punto Azul.

The next day we were picked up by Antonio for our three day surf trip in San Bartolo. The whole three days were absolutely fantastic. We were located on one of the best surfing beaches in the south of Peru, we had our own private apartment overlooking the surf breaks, we went to Antonios house and were cooked three excellent meals a day by his wife, and best of all we got to surf some huge waves.

Due to the consistency of the swell the Peruvians only bother to look for high and low tide. High tide was best so we tended to go out around 08.30am and 16.00pm. At times the waves were the biggest but best we had ever tried to surf and it was a great experience, and a huge learning curve - you don't want to nosedive down the face of some of those waves too often!

The waves were like nothing we had experienced in England, Han notoriously took an 'illegal' left (once getting stranded on the rocks and ending up with sea urchins in her feet!), and Jen took on the role of Kamakazee Kid (paddling into ridiculously huge waves only to suffer sucessive wipeouts and beatings). Lucky Han and Jen weren't together for too long or there may have been some serious injuries!

By the end of day three the long paddle-outs (above) and big wipe-outs were taking their toll (nothing to do with the Pisco Sours and 'local' beer in the evenings), but we were sad to leave and return to Miraflores to say our goodbyes to Han and Bex.

Our last day back in Miraflores was really great, as we met up with a Peruvian family who we had met on the plane from LA. Monica and her daughter Camilla picked us up from the hostel and showed us around downtown Lima, including the cathedral, art gallery and main square. We then headed back to their apartment for a few beers, before being shown around the family run hostel they own in the bohemian suburb of Barranco. To finish a brilliant day we were taken to the private beach complex the family belonged to, where we walked along the shore and looked back on the bright lights of the city. We were then joined by Manolo who had been at work, and the guys then took us for a lovely Chinese meal.

We have had a great start to Peru and would like to thank Angelo and family, Antonio and family, and Monica and family for looking after us so well and providing us with a great impression of their country.

Las Vegas & Grand Canyon

2008-10-23T21:41:00.011+01:00

We spent our last few days in North America exploring Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, which was the perfect end to the first phase of our trip.

After a long bus ride from LA our first evening in Vegas was very chilled out. We stayed at the huge Circus Circus hotel so we spent most of the evening exploring the site. We had to be up very early for our tour to the Grand Canyon the next day so we decided to leave the gambling and the big casinos for our final day in Vegas.

After a very early start and a six hour bus journey (stopping at the impressive Hoover Dam), we finally made it to the Grand Canyon. We were both really excited and full of anticipation as we approached one of the seven natural wonders of the world. However, nothing could have prepared us for the mindblowing view. We had about three hours to walk along the South Rim and take in the many different vewpoints, so we made the most of this and walked as far as we could in the given time. We were positioned at the widest part of the Canyon, and being able to see 18 miles across was quite breathtaking. The depth, width, length and colours of the canyon were quite spectacular - words can´t even begin to describe it.

As we have found at many times on our trip, rather than being able to tick places off the list, we now know that we would love to come back and take a rafting trip along the Colorado River deep in the canyon.

Our last day in America was very long and pretty crazy. As we spent the day exploring the casinos on the strip we soon adopted the phrase that, 'nothing is going to suprise us' as we witnessed whole shopping malls, aquariums and lion enclosures, all within the grand casinos!

After a long day exploring the strip we grabbed some food and headed out for a night in the casinos. The strip was buzzing as we made our way past the famous Belagio, and we stopped to take in one the excellent fountain shows. Having toured the casinos during the day we decided on the Mirage for our evening entertainment. After watching for a little while Joe sat down for a game of poker and I explored the addictive slot machines. 5 hours later we finally left the casino having had our first real gambling experience. Joe came out of his poker with some chips remaining but I had lost mine to the super addictive slot machines!

Our flight out of Vegas was at 09.30am so at 05.00am in the morning there was really no point in going to bed! We got back to Circus Circus and decided to put our few remaining chips on a couple of games of blackjack - if only just to pass the time and get a couple of free Coronas!

As we headed to the airport weary from our 'all-nighter' we realised that Vegas truly is the city that never sleeps.

Los Angeles

2008-10-23T21:31:00.009+01:00

Los Angeles was a bit of a shock after the ultra chilled last week in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara and Irivine, but regardless we had a good time.

We were only in LA for a couple of days but managed to fit in a large amount of the main attractions. We stayed on Hollywood Boulevard and visited the Hollywood area with its star spangled streets including the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Sign. We also visited the upper crust Rodeo Drive and Beverley Hills, the big and busy Downtown area, and finally Venice Beach.

We were not overly drawn to LA as a city, as it was just too hot, sprawling and busy for us. Despite its drawbacks we did enjoy wandering the streets and most of all we enjoyed watching the surfers and the sunset at Venice Beach.

Next stop Vegas...

Irvine, Orange County, CA

2008-10-07T17:36:00.008+01:00

We spent three great days in Irvine, Orange County with Brad and Kyra who Dan had met last summer on his cycling trip across the States.

Brad and Kyra were intent on giving us a true American experience and they certainly suceeded. We spent a lot of time eating out! We experienced some huge portions sizes at the steak house, fish tacos at the beach and some excellent frozen yoghurt at the mall. We also experienced the biggest piece of chocolate cake we have ever seen served on one plate, it was ridiculous!

Aside from eating we also took in some local activities and events. On our first night the guys took us to a traditional local fair where we braved it on a few of the ultra fast spinning rides. At this point the large portions sizes were not being appreciated and Jen had to swap the fast rides for the ghost train, as she seemed to turn a little green!

We also got a nice taste of the Californian beach culture during a day spent at Huntington Beach. Keen to practice our moves before our surf trip in Peru we hired some boards and braved the pumping surf. We seemed to spend most of our time underwater as we got pummeled by the waves, but it was really good fun and nice to be in the sea again. Mesmerised by the talented local surfers we spent a large part of the afternoon on the pier wathcing how those waves should be surfed!

On our final day in Irvine we did some hiking at Top of the World Park, where we walked on trails overlooking the sea. It was really nice but the heat soon took its toll, and we decided on a lazy afternoon by the pool. On our last night we went to a sports bar to watch the big Monday night football game. It was great to soak up the atmosphere and experience the Americans giving out high-fives and cheers as a touchdown or home-run was scored.

We had a great time in Irvine and would like to say a big thanks to Brad and Kyra. Your hospitality was so kind and we really enjoyed getting to know you both. We hope to see you in England sometime in the future - we look forward to Groo updates (his work has changed our lives)!

Carpinteria & Santa Barbara

2008-10-07T17:35:00.003+01:00

After a busy few days in San Francisco, we were pleased to be back in our little tent and to be on the beach for the first time of the trip, as we pitched up at the coastal town of Carpinteria. The state beach was a great spot to kick back, relax, and experience the Californian lifestyle. First things first, we set out for supplies and trialled the local microbrewery!

We spent five nights here, a typical day went like this...

8am - jog along the sands (in truth this only happened once) / leisurely stroll
9am - breakfast - bagel, banana and peanut butter
10am - head to the beach to read and play cards
12pm - walk into town to pick up picnic supplies for lunch
12.30pm - eat lunch, then regret choosing the spicy jalapeno roll once again!
1pm - sleep on beach / shade for the rest of the day
5pm - coffee in town (we became locals)
6pm - watch the sunset over the ocean
7.30pm - start the camp fire, open the beers and put the food on the bbq!
10.30pm - fall into the tent, ready to do it all again the next day

We didn't deviate too far from the above and left Carpinteria sandy and smelly but relaxed.

On Friday we decided to break free from our bubble and head into the classy Santa Barbara. The morning was a bit of a struggle as Jen was nursing an almighty hangover and Joe tried to fight back his frustration at her 'Kevin-ness'. The huge burger and fries in the retro beach cafe brought us back on to an even keel, and we enjoyed the rest of the day strolling up and down the lively State Street. Unfortunately we were staying in the worst hostel so far and the snoring Scotsman in our room did not help matters. We were pleased to get out of the hostel early and jump on the first train to Irvine, Orange County.

San Francisco

2008-10-07T17:34:00.003+01:00

After the 25-hour train ride and a further bus from Emeryville, we reached San Francisco around 10:30am and booked into our hostel. We had decided to spend three nights here, so our first afternoon was pretty relaxed. We decided to go and have a look around the downtown and financial area, as it wasn't too far from the hostel. We walked back through Chinatown, which was disappointing compared to the more vibrant districts in New York and Toronto. We were back at the hostel by early evening and we were pretty exhausted, but even through tired eyes we could see that San Francisco was a city we were going to enjoy.

After a long lie in (sleeping on a train is not ideal), we thought we would make the most of the glorious sunshine and walk through Golden Gate Park. The park was really nice, with a lovely botanical garden and many scenic trails. As we neared the coast we began to understand the phenomenon of the San Francisco coastal mist. We went from clear blue skies to a dense cold fog within minutes. It was too cold to relax on the beach so we watched the surfers for a while and then headed for some lunch at a cosy diner. Tired from all of the walking we headed back to the hostel for a relaxing evening with a few beers and another brilliant free dinner!

On our final day in San Francisco we decided to hire bikes and do the typical tourist route over the Golden Gate Bridge. Jen was feeling very trusting, so we went for a tandem! Once we had got into the rhythm of our machine we headed along the coastal path from Fisherman's Wharf, across the bridge and into the trendy Sausilito. Both journeys across the bridge afforded us some great views, especially on the return leg when the fog had cleared. In the afternoon we cycled to Baker Beach where we rested our weary legs. After dropping the bike off and visiting the sea lions on Pier 39, we were absolutely shattered and decided to get an early night as we had to be up at 4am for the bus to Santa Barbara!

Vancouver & Seattle

2008-09-22T21:12:00.007+01:00

We arrived back in Vancouver on Saturday 20th September. After an amazing time in the Rockies we had a couple of days left in Canada, and we were determined to make the most of it. We had jumped off the bus at Jericho Beach Hostel with our new found friends Kevin and Maren - it was nice to spend the first evening reminiscing over the last twelve days.

After a long lie in we set off for a day in Stanley Park. To reach the park we walked along the waterfront and through the harbour. This was definitely a rich part of Vancouver as there were plenty of big yachts and sailboats. We walked the ten kilometre circumference of the park along the seawall, passing the totem poles (see below) and some lovely beaches.

Our final day in Canada was spent walking through some of the districts in the city that we had yet to see, including Robson Street, Burrard Street and Davie Street. We felt like we knew Vancouver quite well by this stage, and to cap off another great day we took our favourite sunset walk along Kitlsilano Beach back to the hostel.

The next day we set off for Seattle, a brief stop to break up the huge journey to San Francisco. We stayed in a great hostel called the Green Tortoise and were lucky enough to arrive on the night that they offer free dinner - its surprising how many people seem to appear when free food is on offer! Seattle seemed like a friendly and vibrant city with lots to do, but we will have to wait until next time! Next stop, a 25-hour train ride to San Francisco...

Banff - Revelstoke - Kelowna

2008-09-21T02:25:00.006+01:00

Now on day nine of our trip and another new Moose bus we started our three day journey back towards Vancouver. We were really sad to leave the Rockies but our spirits were buoyed by a great new group and some interesting stops along the way. First stop was Johnston Canyon (below).

We also visited a wolf sanctuary where we learnt all about the animals and got to howl with the wolves! The highlight of day nine was a three hour kayaking expedition on Revelstoke Lake, where we crewed a handmade two-man kayak expertly made by Terry our guide.

After the kayaking we were all feeling really tired, so we headed back to our log cabin for take-out pizza and tales of creepy crawlies from the Ozzie girls from our bus.

The last two days of the trip were driving days similar to the first two, however we did experience the biggest ice cream in the world, swimming in Kalamalka Lake, and a gorgeous salmon dinner cooked by our guide in the SameSun hostel in Kelowna. We had an absolutely fantastic time on the Moose tour and were sad to leave it behind.

Athabasca Falls - Banff

2008-09-21T02:24:00.005+01:00

After leaving HI Athabasca Falls we boarded a new Moose bus and headed back down the Icefields Parkway towards Banff. First stop of the day was an early morning walk to Athabasca Falls, which was very nice but also very cold. Next stop was Parker Ridge, where we took an hour hike up to the summit. There were some great views from the summit looking over the glacier and surrounding peaks (below).

This was to be our shortest day on the Moose bus, but we managed to see another beautiful lake before it was over. Moraine Lake was nestled in between some gorgeous mountains and a huge pile of glacial moraine (nobody knows how it got there).

We arrived back in Banff early evening and booked into the SameSun hostel. We cooked some dinner and then took the opportunity to explore the town at night. We jumped off the bus here for one extra night and decided to spend our extra day climbing Tunnel Mountain and visiting Bow Falls. It was nice to have a lie in and relax from the rigours of travelling every day!

Banff - Jasper - Athabasca Falls

2008-09-21T02:23:00.006+01:00

Day three started off as day two had finished, with a beautiful glacial lake. Lake Louise is probably the most famous lake in the Rockies, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. We were lucky enough to get here early before the tourist coaches arrived, so we had the opportunity to experience the serenity and beauty of our surroundings.

As we drove along the Icefields Parkway towards Jasper, we stopped off at a number of 'beauty spots' including Mistaya Canyon (below), the Columbia Icefield, and Bow Summit/Peyto Lake. In between stops we were kept busy marvelling at the scenery and hunting for bears. By this time we had got to know the people on our bus quite well, so we'd like to say a big hello to Jason (our Essex-boy tour guide), Patricia, Keiko, and the singing Irish sisters!

The highlight of day three was our unplanned stop at Bow Summit as the clouds broke away, giving us the best views of the Rockies so far. Peyto Lake (below) was an unbelieveable 'block of colour' (J.P. '08) and in hindsight definitely one of our favourite stops in the Rockies.

After an hour long bear-hunt detour to Maligne Lake (on which Joe was adamant he had seen a bear - it was a black bush) we finally arrived at our rustic hostel at Athabasca Falls. We instantly fell in love with the place, although it did take some time to get used to pumping water from a well, not showering, and relieving ourselves in a 'long-drop' outhouse. We had planned to jump off the bus for one extra night, but this soon turned into four extra nights as we were lucky enough to meet up with Jamie, Rachel, and Bjorn who invited us to join them for the rest of their stay. Once you enter our host Sasha's house its quite hard to leave!

We had two great days of hiking with our new friends including the Sulphur Ridge and Bald Hills. Both walks rewarded us with incredible 360 deg. views of the best Jasper National Park has to offer. In between these great hikes we indulged in a rest day and cooked a Sunday roast - the taste of home! We also shared stories and Bjorn shared his 'German' jokes in front of the log burner during several evenings.

A big thanks to Jamie, Rachel, Bjorn, and Sasha for a great few days in which we learnt that the Germans' nickname for the English translates to 'Island Monkeys' - bloody Wagon Counters!

Vancouver - Shuswap Lake - Banff

2008-09-21T02:21:00.006+01:00

We arrived in Vancouver via Dallas on Monday 8th September (happy b'day mummy P!) and settled into HI Jericho Hostel, which is situated right on the beach west of Vancouver. We had one day before we left for our tour of the Rockies so we wanted to make the most of it. It was a brilliant day spent discovering the coastline, downtown area, and Granville Island. As we walked back to the hostel we witnessed a beautiful sunset (below) which we sat and watched from a log on the beach! We immediately loved Vancouver and were in good spirits for our impending adventure...

Day one and two of our Moose tour were primarily travelling days. We clocked up several hundred miles but got the chance to get off and stretch our legs at some interesting spots. These included Bridal Falls, the town of Hope, and Craigellachie (The Last Spike) where the transcontinental railroad was completed. Having spent most of the day on the bus with two seventy-year-olds from Ireland and several snoozing Japanese girls, Jen was just about ready to kill someone...

As we got closer to the Rockies the scenery became more and more spectacular, and we knew we had definitely arrived when we came to Emerald Lake at the end of day two. This was one of our favourite lakes in the Rockies, the reflections were amazing and we can both vouch for the 'glacial' temperature of the water!

We spent day two at HI Banff knowing that day three towards Jasper was going to be one of the most spectacular days of the tour (maybe the whole year), so we got to bed early after cooking the whole bus a beef stir fry.

Kentucky

2008-09-08T15:32:00.011+01:00

We have had a great time over the last week staying with Dan and Chantell in Springfield, Kentucky. A large part of our time was spent taking in the luxuries of staying under a solid roof, with soft beds, warm showers and good food! In addition to enjoying our comfortable surroundings we also took some time to explore Kentucky.

On our first day out we headed for Willisburg Lake, but missed the lake and went for a two hour drive to Harodsburg instead. However, this gave Joe a chance to get used to Dan's left hand drive automatic as well as driving on the right hand side of the road.

The next day we actually made it to Willisburg Lake and hired out a pontoon. It was really peaceful to explore the lake and soak up some sun. We then fished and picnicked on the lake side before heading back for a few beers. Unfortunately the waters of Willisburg Lake weren't as fruitful as our favourite mackerel spot at Herne Bay.

On Friday we ventured out to Bernheim Forest which is a few miles past Bardstown. It was a typical English rainy day (that fine stuff that soaks you through) but it didn't spoil the brilliant scenery. There was a gorgeous lake to walk round as well as many trails through the forest. One of the highlights was spotting a white tailed deer feeding by the forest path.

At this point it must be said that we took advantage of Dan's massive TV and watched a fair bit of the US Open - come on Muzza! Hence, most of Saturday was spent watching the semi-finals. Once we'd finally got dressed (around 6pm) we headed into Lexington to experience some nightlife and country music. We had a great night, especially at Redmon's Bar where there was live acoustic; he even sang Cotton Eyed Joe!

Sunday was the highlight of the week as we spent it with Dan and Chantell, who had been at a horse show in Indiana for a large part of the week. After another fatboys breakfast we filled the 'eskie' with plenty of beers and drove out to Taylorsville Lake State Park. We rented a pontoon for a half day and Captain Dan navigated his way to a good swimming spot. We spent the afternoon diving off the boat, drinking beer and generally chilling out.

We rounded off the week with a sunset trail ride, Joe's first time on a horse (donkeys at Bridlington do not count as horses!) and Jen facing a fear. We both really enjoyed riding 'Buffalo' and 'Hippo'; really good fun! We then went back for nachos, huge steaks and some interesting shots served up by our hosts.

By the way, we also found a Black Widow in Dan's garage - the most poisonous spider in the world...

Thanks to Dan and Chantell for having us over the last week, we had a great time.

New York City

2008-09-03T00:11:00.009+01:00

After an early start we arrived at 'Jazz On The City' youth hostel on West 96th Street, Uptown Manhatten at 11am. Check-in was at 3pm so we dumped our bags and headed straight for our first experience of an American 'fatboy' breakfast - we weren't disappointed!

We then walked off our fatboys breakfast with a long stroll through Central Park which amazed us with its greenery, natural beauty, and sheer size. From the relative tranquility of the park we were hit with the immensely big, busy and bustling Times Square on West 42nd Street with its electric billboards and honking taxis. We escaped to the grandiose Grand Central Station, which is the most impressive looking station we have ever seen. After taking refuge in New York library and then our hostel, we headed out for pizza, and therefore headed for Little Italy. Friday was over, first impressions were mixed, and we were glad to get our heads down.

We woke quite late on Saturday but headed straight downtown (after a ham and egg bagel of course) to the Staten Island Ferry Port. This gave us some great views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhatten skyline, which looked very impressive when the sun came out on the journey back. We then wandered through the financial district, past Wall Street, and came to Ground Zero. It was a very humbling yet inspiring experience to see it first hand, especially their positive attitude towards the future.

Tired of sightseeing, we thought that we could not be in New York on the week of the US Open without visiting Flushing Meadows. We expected to just walk the grounds and soak up the atmosphere, so we were thrilled when we managed to get a pair of centre court tickets for the evening session, including the all American tie between James Blake and Mardy Fish. What an experience! We had great seats and the two matches we witnessed didn't let us down; one of the highlights so far.

We woke up on Sunday to gorgeous blue skies, so decided there was no better time to visit the Empire State Building. Having pre-booked our tickets (thanks Keith P.) we skipped all of the queues and soon found ourselves on the 86th floor observatory with 360 degree views around the city. There couldn't have been a better day for it, as we could see for miles; quite spectacular.

After a great start to the day we ventured uptown to East 71st Street to take in some culture at the Frick Collection (thanks again Keith P.). This made a nice change from the mainstream attractions and there was some fantastic artwork on display. As soon as the sun went down we took a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to look back on the bright lights of New York City. To complete our three day experience of New York we ate at an authentic American steak house on Times Square, again, we weren't disappointed!

After a really hectic few days we were really looking forward to getting lucky down in Kentucky!

Woodstock & Plattekill

2008-08-29T19:51:00.016+01:00

We arrived in Woodstock with high hopes of reaching Wilson State Park - a nice campsite in the Catskill Mountains. We made it, and it was nice. However, there was also a population of 7000 black bears who also seem to think it is nice. After pitching the tent we made a few enquiries as to how we should cook and keep our food. Without a vehicle it was impossible to stay there without attracting the attention of all these bears whose sense of smell reaches over a mile! We promptly packed up and the kind park ranger dropped us back off in the hippy village of Woodstock where we booked into a guest house for the night. The same park ranger who assured us that they were not dangerous also admitted that they had recently destroyed a whole garage (the bears not the hippies).

However, we enjoyed our night in Woodstock and in the morning we made use of the local launderette and library to clean our clothes and search out a new campsite somewhere between Woodstock and New York City. We got on our way thanks to a lift from Debbie and Susan who kindly dropped us off at the bus terminal in Kingston so that we could make our way to New Paltz and then Plattekill.

We were lucky with transfers and arrived at a KOA Kampground in Plattekill in time to put the tent up and have a beer! We chilled out by the campsite pool for two days - good preparation for the hustle and bustle of New York City on Friday!

Having great time - be sure to comment and keep in touch.

Green Lakes nr. Syracuse

2008-08-26T16:57:00.007+01:00

We took the train from Toronto to Syracuse hoping to find somewhere to camp for a few days. On arrival the enthusiasm drained as we felt like a fish out of water in the rough downtown area of Syracuse. After a few enquiries we decided to head for the Green Lakes State Park (which worryingly no one had heard of!) We took the bus to Fayetteville accompanied by what Jen described as a 'potential serial killer' who seemed intent on getting us on a cargo train to Chicago!

After a long long walk in the searing heat we finally reached the gates for the state park (they said it was only a mile along the highway!). We soon realised however that we had come to the wrong entrance and that we still had a half hour walk to the camping spot. Absolutely exhausted and feeling as though we could walk no further we hitched a ride. Luckily we were picked up by Kenn - the jeweller from Syracuse, who as an enthusiastic backpacker himself got us checked in and dropped us right at our camping site. The friendly families next to us sorted us out with camp wood and some lovely corn on the cob, we soon felt at home.

We spent 4 days at the state park and had a great time! As the name suggests the state park centers around two gorgeous green lakes, so most of our time was spent sunbathing on the beach, swimming in the lake and walking the trails around the park. Each night we built a camp fire by the tent and we spent the evenings roasting marshmallows, watching the stars and chatting to our neighbours.

We are ten days into the trip now so we are down to the last of our clean clothes, next destination...anywhere with a washing machine!