Pancakes & Brownies

Beautiful Borneo!

2009-04-20T06:51:00.008+01:00

Hello again!

I can't believe that it has nearly been a week since I left Borneo and I am still yet to blog about it! Time is going even faster now that I am nearing the end. I am still in Singapore at the moment after delaying my flight to Thailand until tomorrow (Tuesday).

Borneo was wonderful and I am so pleased that I decided to join Julie on the last leg of her trip, we had a brilliant time and just when I think that things cant get more beautiful or amazing, they do! We squished a lot in to our ten days and I was shattered by the end, but it was completely worth it, although we hardly touched the surface of the amazing state of Sabah, which is in the Malaysian part of Borneo.

It was the first country that I have been to on this trip where there was a language barrier. However, this was not so much of a hindrance and it certainly makes life more interesting! The people on the whole were generally very friendly and we only had one occasion when we were surrounded by touts (it was like being a celebrity) which was when buying our long haul bus ticket, although as soon as we had bought, we were old news!

The flight from Singapore to Kota Kinabulu (the capital) was just two hours and we arrived in time for lunch. It was all very straightforward and the luxury of not having to cook and lunch costing just a pound, was very much a novelty. We then spent the rest of our first day wondering around, looking at the markets and then discovering that great chain and wondering, if there is anyone in th

e world it hasnt made it to....

On our second day we visited Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, a group of 5 islands, situated just 15 minutes by speed boat from KK. Just when you think the beaches cant get any better and this is what you find.....it was beautiful! We spent our day on two islands,

the first was called Mandurah and was the only island in the National

Park where you can stay. The second island we hopped to, is called Manutik and this is the one in the picture. It was a very relaxed day, we snorkled and enjoyed the sunshine and could see the afternoon storm brewing in KK from our remote island! How wonderful! The boat rid

es were really fun too, speed boats shotting everywhere! That evening we went to the night market. We had wondered around on our first evening but had already eaten. It is meant to be one of the best night markets in South East Asia and we were both completly blown away! It is mainly fish and vegtables for sale, i have never seen anything like it, it was massive and despite the amount of raw meat there were no flys and it did not smell, incrediable when you consider it was not below probably 25 even at night! A sign of pure freshness i reckon. We ate at a typical philipino BBQ with all the locals, its just plastic bowls and no cutterly! But it has

to be some of the best fish i have ever eaten! Normally I would have been a bit apprehensive eating at this kind of thing, but it was an incrediable experience and great food! We were the only westerners in sight, we later found the rest of the tourists not even 150m down the road eating at the local Irish pub! What an experience they missed, the bbqs made it roasting hot but it was soo much fun!

Day 3 - we got the bus to Sandakan, 6 hours east of KK. For an asian bus it was pretty comfy and even had air con, i certainly wasnt going to complain for the 6 pounds it cost me! Although this is a prime example of the language barrier, when the bus stops for a break, you never know how long it is going to stop for, it could be 5 minutes or 55! Patience really is a virtue when it comes to travelling Asia. Sandakan was ok, there is not a lot in the actual town but we were using it as a base to explore the local wildlife. It does however have an interesting history, which i will share with you now. Sandakan was the site of a Japenese Prisoner of War camp during WWII. In September 1944 there were 1800 Australian troops and 600 British. More Australians died here than during the building of the Burma railway. Early in the war conditions were bearable, but as the allies progressed, rations were cut, prisoners weakened and disease spread. It was decided to move the prisoners inland, 250km through the jungle to Ranau. On 28 January 1945 470 prisoners set off, 313 made it to Ranau. On the second march 570 started and only 118 made it. Conditions were horific, not boots, rations less than miminal and many fell by the wayside; the Japenese disposing of those who could not walk. Once in Ranau the prisoners were put to work carrying 20kg sacks of rice to Paginatan 40km away. Disease and starvation took a horendous toll and by the end of July 1945 there were no prisoners left in Ranau. The only survivors from the 2400 at Sandakan were 6 Australian escapees.

There is a memorial park at Sandakan but unfortunatly we ran out of time to visit as the next few days were monkey mania. Our first day of monkey business was at the lesser well known attraction of the Probiscus Monkey Sanctuary. This type of

monkey can only be found in Borneo, a pretty incrediable thought really. They are funny looking things but we had a really great day! We decided to stay for both the morning and afternoon feeding, and were the only ones to do so! We thought we would be hanging around for ages in between but had lunch and was shown around the new lodges that they are building and then were treated to a lunchtime feeding, with just one other couple, the monkeys were so close and it felt like we were even more in the jungle! It was a boiling day and we were both shattered by the end! That day proved that hanging around and

having a little patience was worth it!

Our other day of monkey business was at the much more famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation centre. Where as the day before there had been a maximum of 15 people at one feeding, here there were hundreds! But we were prepared and had our spot on the fence 40 minutes prior to the first feeding! Where as the probiscus literally came crashing through the trees, the orangutans were much more graceful and were swinging along the ropes. They cannot say how many will turn up for feeding, as these orangutans have been released into the semi-wild, they say between 0-11. On our first feeding we had 7, which was pretty good! You dont get too close, but that is for the orangutans benefit as at the centre they are trying to keep it as realistic to the wild as possible. The fact that people couldnt follow the basic instruction of 'silence please' was slightly frustrating, and some orangutans definitly didnt approach as it was too noisey which was such a shame. Between feedings we hung around in the cafe and caught up with our diaries and watched a DVD on the work at Sepilok. The afternoon came around really quickly and we were like the cats with the cream as we made our way to the second feeding as a female orangutan was hanging in the tree right next to the broad walk. It was amazing! We were so close and and was fun to watch her just playing in the tree! I didnt really mind about the second feeding after that, i had my photos and such a special experience. Only 3 turned up to the second feeding, there were lots of other pesky monkeys around and it was over pretty quickly, or so we thought....all the orangutans went out of sight and then one decided to come and have another look. After about 15 minutes of playing in the tree of front of us and hanging around....this is what happened.....

How cool is this!! It came right onto the barrier and nearly stole a women's camera case, which the women would have deserved as she had her camera lense right in the orangutan's face. An extra special moment though!

Our last main adventure of the trip was a 2 night jungle experience on the River Kinabatangan. It was a great couple of days, which involved lots of river cruises, early morning (6am!) and late afternoon and a night walk through the jungle and a longer 3 hour walk on Easter Sunday! It was lots of fun, even with the Glastonbury style mud! Leech socks and all we had a really ace time! The walk through the jungle was pretty amazing, thankfully although we did get leeches on us we were observant enough for them not to get to the blood sucking stage! phew! On our river cruise we saw a crocodile, which was pretty cool apart the size of the boat we were in (it was one moment when i wanted to erase all of my interesting crocodile facts from my mind!) lots of probiscus monkeys, birds and an orangutan in its nest! yes trust me, they do sleep in nests which they build in 5-20 minutes, pretty impressive! Unfortunatly our quest for elephants failed due to being stuck in a torrential down pour! Just when i have never seen rain so hard, it gets harder! It was so hard it hurt, you couldnt look up it was so heavy. It has to be one of the funniest afternoons of my whole trip, but i think you had to be there! We certainly couldnt have been any wetter!

We had one day back in KK before flying back to Singapore. Unfortunatly the weather didn't hold for a beach day so we opted for shopping instead and then our final night was spent back at the BBQ!

We crammed a lot in to our 10 days, but it was amazing and i will definitey be going back! There is still so much to see and the diving there is meant to be amazing!

Im home in 2 weeks today....doesnt feel quite real yet!!!!

7 months of travelling......

2009-04-14T14:22:00.003+01:00

After an amazing week in Borneo its wierd to think that this picture was at the very start of my trip, in Fiji, where Jen and I first met Julie.

Julie and I are now both older, travelled and just a tad browner....this is what 7 months of travelling does to you! Enjoying our fish bbq in the hub of Kota Kinabulu!

As both our trips are coming to an end, we both agree that the hardest thing about travelling will be coming home..............

Happy Easter from Borneo!

2009-04-10T12:05:00.003+01:00

WOW, i cant believe its Easter already and im in Borneo! This time last year i was just returning from America and now i am sat in this crazy internet cafe, paying 20p for one hour!!!

This country is amazing and although we have only been here 5 days its been incrediable! We saw the oragutans today, which was a once in a life time experience. Off trekking in the jungle this weekend, complete with leech socks.....i will update you when i get back to Singapore on Wednesday.

But for now, Happy Easter and enjoy your chocolate! I am jealous because they certainly dont do chocolate flaboured rice here!!!

Singapore!

2009-04-05T07:37:00.002+01:00

Well I did it, I actually left Australia, not without my first major hiccup of my trip! Missing my flight from Perth!!! Who knew you could fly at 1am to Singapore and not a very sociable 1pm like i thought! Never mind, I was very lucky and got on the next flight with no extra cost and so only ended up waiting 6 hours instead of maybe days!

So I arrived late on Thursday and have just spent the past couple of days combining sightseeing with meeting friends and family. Its been really nice. There isnt that much to see in Singapore, they just love to eat and shop here! I have ventured down Orchard Road, which is the main shopping district and its just mall after mall after mall! Its crazy! They are massive and you can go in one and come out of another the other side of the road! But they are air conditioned so they are a nice escape from the humidity, im kind of use to the heat and humidity after the northern parts of Australia, but it doesnt make it any nicer!

I met up with friends on Friday evening and then yesterday met up with Julie, who Jen and I met in Fiji. It was Julie's birthday yesterday and so we took the boat along the river which was good and we got some great views! Clark Quay where we got the boat from was really cool, quite modern, lots of bars and different coloured buildings. Im staying with my aunt and uncle and on the way back home got caught in a massive thunderstorm! Boy when it rains here it really does rain! And so i sort shelter in Starbucks! My first since San Fransico, all those many moons ago and it was good! Its funny here, although its really different to home its very similar in that there is a M&S and Dororthy Perkins and Warehouse etc, which you dont get in Australia, so that has all been a bizzare! I have also ventured each day through the Botanic Gardens, which are really beautiful and we had breakfast there yesterday morning.

Then last night Julie and I went for dinner in Chinatown. Its a really cool area and lanterns hang from the buildings which as it got darker was really pretty. We ate there and then headed to Raffles for the obligatory Singapore Sling! It tasted good and just had to be done really! From there we headed to a bar called New Asia which is on the 71st floor of a hotel opposite Raffles. It was amazing! You could see the whole of Singapore and on into Malaysia, although dark by this time it was a great view and so very high! You got one drink included in your ticket so we had champagne and admired the view, it was awesome! It was a really great evening and we ended up at Clark Quay with some live music.

So today im just chilling in the luxury of a home! I did plan to spend the day by the pool but it has been raining pretty impressively for the past few hours! Julie and I are off to Borneo tomorrow for 10 days and im really looking forward to it. Its not somewhere i imagined going on this trip but it should be a great experience and i am looking forward to something a little less western. I am then back in Singapore for the night before I fly to Thailand.

A lot of people either love it or hate it here. I like it, i certainly wouldn't say that i hate it! There is not much to see, but i am pleased i have stopped off here. I get the impression that there is a lot of wealth here, most people have a Gucci bag under their arm! One day one day........! Its different from any city in Australia. There are millions of more people to start with! I think in one hour i saw more people and certainly cars than i did my whole time in WA! Its also exceptionally clean. The MRT (underground) is spotless there is not one piece of rubbish, you could probably eat off the floor, i have never seen anything like it, certainly very different to the London Underground, although you are advised to 'Mind the Gap', which made me smile!

Next stop Borneo.....!!!

Day 200 & Australian Highlights!

2009-04-01T08:33:00.002+01:00

Well what a conicidence that my last day in Australia would be my 200th of travelling! I would like to say it was planned, but it really wasnt! Just lucky! The sun has shone and I am now ready to expereince the next chapter in my journey.

Its been ages, well 5 months, since i last left a country, and i have done too much for a top 5 experiences, so it will have to be a top 10 instead, as follows:-

1. Uluru
2. New Years Eve Fireworks, Sydney
3. Monkey Mia (dolphin feeding) Shark Bay World Heritage Area
4. Fraser Island
5. Litchfield National Park/Jumping Crocodiles! Northern Territory
6. Cape Range National Park/Ningaloo Reef (Exmouth/Coral Bay WA)
7. Kakadu National Park - Northern Territory
8. Philip Island, (Penguins!!) Victoria
9. Madama Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House
10. Indigenous Art buying! QLD

Hands down Uluru has been my most memorable experience since being in Australia, although it was the near begining of my time here it is an experience that has been with me ever since and one that i will look back on with amazing memories.

So thats that, Australia has been amazing and i have loved every moment. So all that is left for me to say is, I will see you all next month!!!!!!!!

Albany and the Start of Winter???

2009-03-29T04:56:00.002+01:00

Well, its official, the clocks went back this morning so i suppose winter has arrived!! And with the temperatures set not to drop below 28 degrees this week, i like winter here!!

As im not prone to 'doing' winter these days its probably a good thing that i only have 4 days left in Australia, oh my god, 4 days!!! After 5 months i cant believe that when i get on the plane i will be actually leaving Australia, its taking some time getting used to! I am however very excited about the next couple of weeks, which will see me visit Singapore, Borneo and Thailand which will be a great way to end my trip.

This week, flying solo again, i headed down to Albany, about 500km or so south of Perth for the week. I got the coach, my first coach trip since the east coast and with no one to talk to, the six hours dragged a little, thank god for i-pods!! I am really pleased i went down there, it was very beautiful and reminded me a lot of New Zealand, the town is situated on the coast inbetween rolling hills and the temperature is a bit cooler as well! Although 21 degrees wasnt as cold as i expected it to be, although it was the first time i used a duvet in about 3 months, hehe!!

I didnt really get up to much, just went on lots of walks and enjoyed the spectactular scenery. On Thursday i hired a bike and cycled along the coast which was lots of fun and hard work too, did i mention it was hilly!! Although it was a beautiful day and every now and then i stopped at the next deserted beach to sit and read my book! Life is hard! I also had a very bizzare experience, i was just getting to cycle bike and looked up and a kangaroo was hopping straight for me! You might think, awww how cute, i can assure they are not! They are pretty massive animals and very powerful, they could knock you flying in a second! I could see visions of bikes going flying and arms being broken, so decided to stand very still as it bounced past at an incrediable speed, the power vibrating through the ground! It was at this moment, i decided that i really have had an incrediable time here and it is time to move on.....one more step along the world i go!!

I am enjoying this time to myself, the hostel is packed out every night and there is always somebody to talk to, if you want, but its nice just having some time to myself. It has been a very luxurious morning as everybody in my room has checked out and so i have the room to myself until 1pm! I decided it was a good opportunity to sort out my stuff and the pile for the post office is getting higher and higher!!

Yesterday, after wondering around town in the morning i decided it was probably hot enough to brave the beach, a mere 28!! And within the hour i was catching the last few summer rays! Perth is great like that, it can cater for a number of moods! This afternoon i am off out to check out the art gallery and hopefully catch the Grand Prix too!

Hope you are all having a gd weekend! xxx

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-03-22T03:28:00.001Z

Just a quick shout out to all those mums out there! New mums, expectant mums, mums who have been around for years....where would we be in this world without our mums?!!

Mine is the BEST and I love her very much!

xxx

Perth!

2009-03-22T02:56:00.002Z

Where has this past month gone? I cant believe I have now been in Perth over a week, i have a week and a half left in Australia and Kirsty leaves tomorrow :-( Crazy!!

Another interesting Western Australia (WA) fact for you; WA has a population of 2 million, and Singapore 4 million, but Singapore can fit into WA, 4,000 times!!!! This is a massive state! Perth is said to be the most isolated city in the world, for its size!

I had heard so much about Perth before i arrived, all great things! And its been a really good week, but i think its safe to say now that im a Sydney girl at heart! Perth is very laid back and chilled and small really, the sun shines most days and its all very nice, but im not sure there is much happening for a 20 something!!

Saying that, we have done lots since we arrived, and its the longest I have stayed in one place since Darwin. We arrived and i just crashed out last weekend. There was no accomodation left for the weekend where we were staying and so decided to go to Freemantle for the weekend. Its really nice there, we went back for the day yesterday, and did a cruise down the Swan River rather than getting the train and I appreciated it a lot more as i was a lot more with it! I think Freeo also felt very European to us last week, which took some time to get used to after 2 weeks of the outback! They have a great market there though and stocked up on some lush fruit both weekends! Im really going to miss the fruit here! Its amazing, im not a fruit person at all at home, but here i dont go a day without eating at least 3 pieces!! Yesterday we also treated ourselves to lunch out, being Kirsty's last weekend and we went to Wagamamas!!! it was SOO good, I have never been to wags before, and sat outside with the indian ocean in the background!! Yaki Soba is still number 40 and it went down a treat! We had a lovely day yesterday and after chilling around Freeo, came back and then took a picnic up to Kings Park and watched the sun set over the skyline, with a bottle of wine. It was really nice and the park was full!! Lots of weddings and school proms and lots of people just enjoying the evening sunshine!

What else have we been up to this week? We had hoped to do a tour to Margaret River although there was no avalibility this week, so instead we opted for a wine tour around Swan Valley and what a great day we had! 5 wineries, a brewery and a chocolate factory later, we were more than giddy!!! We also thought it would be a good idea to buy a bottle of port!! So thats going back with Kirsty tomorrow and will be cracked open when I go up to Liverpool to visit her when im home!! The port is so good though, and Jen and I had really loved it on our Barossa Valley tour in Adelaide, so maybe its not just a drunken thing ;-)

On Friday we went on a day trip to the Pinnacles, a national park a couple of hours north of Perth (we had driven past it on our way down but didnt have the time to stop) with 1,000s of limestone formations. It was a really eiery experience as black clouds loomed, but a really cool sight to see! Unfortunatly, this tour was a bit disappointing. It was the worse I have been on since I have been away, which was a shame as Jen used the same company when she was here and had a great time. It just shows you what a difference a good guide makes. Never mind, you cant win them all and one out of all the day trips I have been on isnt bad at all, its just a shame it was my last one.

So thats been it really, we have enjoyed the sunshine in the parks and did a walk around the city and been mesmorised by shops and skylines and people, which we havent seen for ages!! Its been a great week as usual!

Tomorrow I am getting the bus down to Albany for the week. Six hours south, its going to be a bit fresh down there (21/22degrees!!) but is meant to have a beautiful rugged coastline and i really want to see some of the south west before i leave. Then I have 5 days back in Perth before i fly to Singapore. I cant believe it! Its top 10 time again, i have done too much to have a top 5 like New Zealand! So i need to get my thinking cap on and go back to last year and my time in Melbourne to start with! It seems like yesterday!

xxx

West is Best Part III - The Final Chapter!

2009-03-19T02:53:00.003Z

Our last few days of our roadtrip were spent hopping from one place to another, getting closer and closer to Perth.

Day 11- We left Denham and drove back through the spectacular shark bay to the highway, in the comfort an air conditioned, fly free zone! Today was one of the hardest drives, it was 5 hours to Kalbarri, but today more than others the road seemed never ending and the sign posts were few and far between, it was a long morning. but completly worth the wait! We headed to Kalbarri National straight away, as we drove past it on the way in and thought, why not!! 28km off the highway, an unsealed road, is always a bit of fun and tests the driving! The park stretches for 1,000 sq/km and it comprised of the most spectacular gorges and rock formations that I have seen since Kings Canyon on our Uluru tour!! We stopped off at a number of different look outs and short walks. It was SO SO hot and the flys were horrific, but we stuck it out and was so pleased we did! There was a fine art, to taking pictures that day, i can assure you, to make sure there were no flys or flying hands in the way!!

When we got to the hostel and checked in, we were told it was a mild day of 39 degrees, but that it would have been 12 degrees hotter, at least, in the national park!!! crazy!! I knew it was hot, but blimey!!! By the end of the day, i was completly drained and exhausted! Kalbarri is a small seaside town where a lot of people from Perth go on their holidays. The national park is their main attraction and we only had one night here. To recover, we spent the next morning on the beach and then in the afternoon headed along the costal road to Geraldton, Capital of the mid west and civilisation!!! This was the only part of our journey that we could see the Indian Ocean from the road and made a refreshing change!

Arriving in Geraldton was like arriving in central London, after 2 weeks of nothing. They drove in lanes and everything there, which was all thoroughly confusing!! We saw our first McDonalds in 2 weeks, so knew then that we were back in the 'real' world!! Going from all the small villages that we visited to a town with a population of 19,000 it was a real shock! We arrived late afternoon on Day 12 and then had a whole day here last Wednesday, which we used to acclimtise and do some odd jobs, such as washing! We also visited the Museum of Western Australia, which was really interesting and gave an insight into the local indiginous history. It also had a temporary exhibition on HMAS Sydney, a Australian naval war ship that disappeared off the west coast in 1941 with 645 men on board. After a skirmish with a german ship, it was never found, until March 2008. It was a really interesting exhibition, and to think that it has only just been found, the history is still waiting to be written.

Our last day i drove 590km from Geraldton to Perth, capital of WA. We left early and made good time, although the last 100km were a struggle! And the last 20km seemed to take hours! We dropped the car off at the airport, thinking that would be easier, although it has to be the most unsigned airport in the world!! We only saw a sign with 3km to go, which is just ridiculous! Although on the way in we did drive though Guildford (which made Kirsty happy!) and past Heath Ledger's school, which was worth the slight detour! We got the shuttle into town from the airport, the joys of public transport!! It took for ever and was so unorganised!

So thats it, the greatest road trip ever! Completly worth every km and every kangaroo that got in our way!!

West is Best part II - Shark Bay World Heritage Area!

2009-03-17T04:17:00.003Z

Hello again from an overcast and drizzly Perth!

So on Day 8 of our adventure we arrived in Denham Australia's most westerly town. Which is pretty cool as i have also been to Australia's most easterly point of the mainland (slightly different i know, but cool all the same!)

We turned off the North West Costal Highway into Shark Bay World Heritage Area. I have now been to 6 out of the 16 world heritage sights in Australia and this one was definitly up there with Uluru National Park for sure. The drive off the highway to Denham was the most scenic drive of our whole adventure.

We stopped off at many significant sights along the way, all which contribue to the area's distinction. But my, were they fly ridden! At one point it was SOOO bad, it was like stepping into a fly farm, which was a shame as we were at Shell Beach and this is where we had planned to sit and have our lunch, no chance!! Despite the flys it was still pretty impressive and we just grim and beared it for as long as humanly possible, the shells go 10meters deep in places!

Another stop was Hamelin Pool, which is a marine reserve containing the world's best known colony of Stromatolites. now i dont really understand this, but the book says, they are the oldest form of life on earth! Hamelin Pool is the first living example found in the world and is estimated to be 3,000 years old!!! Stromatolites are brown rock like formations which are made up of modest microbes almost identical to organisms that existed 19 million years ago!!!! All pretty cool anyway and worth the fly ridden stop :-)

So by the time we arrived at Denham, we were both pretty traumatised. All the hostels along the coast were really quiet and we were blessed with another room to ourselves and kitchen and bathroom too, as the hostel was made up of lots of appartments, luxury! So we just made the most of it, wandered along Denham's one street with the Emu's and that was about it!!

Day 9 - was Christmas Day take two, for sure! It was all about the dolphins at Monkey Mia and was such a special day. It was like going to bed on Christmas Eve, i was just soo excited at the thought of seeing dolphins and we were up at 6am to make sure we did!!

The wild dolphins of monkey mia have been coming to the shores of Shark Bay for 30 years, a lady thought it would be a good idea to train them to come into the shore by feeding them and they have done ever since. When the road was sealed and more and more people found out about it, a more controlled enviroment was set up. The dolphins are still completly wild, and dont necessarily come to the shore everyday, you are just unlucky if they dont! Thankfully by the time we arrived at 7.30am they were already there and the first feed was under way. They are fed up to 3 times in one morning a third of their daily intake, so that in the afternoon they still have to go off and hunt. 6 adult females are fed. When we first arrived it was a bit of a circus, with about 150 people in the water, but after the first feed they soon disappeared and we were front row!!

It was just an amazing experience, being in the water, fairly shallow and the dolphins just swimming past you, and out in the distance as you stood there and watched, it was very special. The second feed happened fairly quickly as the dolphins hung around and people are just randomly picked to feed them!! It was like Shrek, pick me pick me and yes, they did!!!! Hooray!! Now it was even more like Christmas!! it was sooo cool, over in a moment but i got to feed a wild dolphin! And then i got picked out again, haha!!! It must have been my lucky day, so Kirsty got to as well! Talk about the cat who had the cream!! We watched the third feeding, sitting on the beach with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, and then we saw a turtle too! Not bad as by now it was only 9.30am!!! We chilled out on the beach for the rest of the morning and by lunch time it was like your own personal oven, so we headed back to find out on the radio it was 39degrees! We went out in the evening and had a drink to celebrate, Saturday night out in Denham, not quite as happening as the Borderline!!

Day 10 - A chilled out Sunday morning on the beach, although fairly windswept by the end, i dont know the things you do for the cause!!! We escaped the afternoon sun with a visit to the World Heritage Discovery Centre where we learned about all we had seen and experienced over the past couple of days. It was a really modern exhibition but very informative with some stunning photography. In the evening we went back to Monkey Mia, about 28km east and had some fun on the beach with the flys and sunset before we went on an aboriginal dreaming evening. It was SO amazing! An aboriginal guide, led us out into the bush a bit and we sat around the camp fire, learning about the aboriginal people of the area and the stories they are told from childhood about how the land was formed. In that part of Shark Bay it is known as Malgana Country, although there are about 16 different tribes in the area, all with thier own language (not english!). It was a really great evening, a lovely experience as the stars came out and the guy played the didigerdoo and we ate fish that had been caught that day and cooked on the fire in front of us.

The drive back was a bit exciting, the Australian bush comes alive at night and we saw snakes, rabbits (ok, not so Australian) and loads of Kangaroos on the road, it was all very eventful in the pitch black, i had to drive so slow and be on true kangaroo alert! I think at one point kirsty made me jump more than the kangaroo on the road next to us!!!

So that was our weekend in Shark Bay, amazing! just when we thought our trip couldnt get any better, it just did!! I nearly have as many dolphin pictures as i do crocodiles, which is alot!!

I will leave the final part of our trip for another post! xx

West is Best Part I!!!

2009-03-13T05:03:00.003Z

Hello from Perth!!

Well i dont know where to start!! Kirsty and I have just had the most amazing two weeks travelling down the west coast of Australia. 3692km, Australia's biggest state, equivalent to the size of India!!!!

We left Broome, after I had a great week there, the weather was lovely, although very hunid, the hostel was great and I just chilled and made the most of the pool. So we left Broome in a shiny white car and headed to Port Headland on our first day of the ultimate road trip! We knew we would see nothing that day and we didnt! 600km of nothing, apart from 2 roadhouses (basic service stations). It was GREAT!! We plugged in the i-pod and put the world to right and i just drove and drove and drove! And by now was pleased that the car was an automatic! A new experience for me, but one i came to love! So we arrived in Port Headland, after 7 hours of driving and shattered. This was only just a stop over, there is nothing there really - although it is Australia's biggest export of Iron Ore. There are not even any hostels so we had the luxury of a hotel, the first for me since New Year! And it was lovely, but very wierd. I am now very much at home on the top bunk and people coming in and out of the room all night, so i did find it all a bit strange and very quiet!!!! But it was a much needed rest stop.

Day 2 - was intended as a short drive day, to counter act the day before. Just 3 and a bit hours to Karratha in the Pilbera Region. So we just poodled along really as the clouds got blacker and blacker. We were aware that a cyclone was forming off the pilbera coast, but it was still not known where it was going to hit. By the time we got to Karratha it turned out it was coming straight for us!!!! Typical!!! At this point i thought me and the coasts of this country and just not meant to be! The hostel owners at Karratha advised us to keep going to Exmouth, as if we didnt we would likley be stuck for at least 4 days, but Exmouth was 6 hours away and by now it was 1.45pm and Kirsty does not drive!! I was SOO tierd, but really didnt want to experience what Jen and I went through at Airlie Beach. So we went for. 2 cans of red bull, a bag of mini eggs (lovely proper tasting UK ones!!), one very long playlist and 6 hours later we made it to Exmouth!! I couldn't believe how far i had driven over 2 days, i think about 1,600km, which is just crazy and i would love to know how far that was in miles and from London to where?!!!

Day 3 - Sunny Exmouth! And boy was I pleased to see the sunshine when i woke up on Sunday morning and a lovely 35degrees! Exmouth - a former US naval communications base, small town which you could drive through without even noticing, population about 2,500km. But home to some of the most spectacular beaches i have ever seen! We had 3 nights here in total and it was stunning. Our first full day we stayed close to town, you still had to drive to the beach, but it was only a few km and i could cope with that! We went up to the lighthouse as well and got fantastic views of the coast line and the outback in the distance, it was stunning! An afternoon on the beach was very much needed, although when the temperature started to push 40, it was like walking on coals!

Day 4 - our last day in Exmouth and we spent it exlporing the amazing Cape Range National Park. You know its not a bad monday, when you hire your snorkel gear, throw it in the boot and then off you go for the day! And thats exactly what we did! The park was on the western side of the cape (if you look at a map) and as we drove in a kangaroo jumped out in front of the car and emus were wondering down the road (and around the town too!!) We got the ticket and thought that there was no way that the beaches could look as good as that, but oh my god they did!! It was the most amazing day ever!! I had a great time snorkelling at Turquoise Bay (very aptly named) the reef was amazing, and i will come onto that in a bit. We beach hopped for the day, and saw hardly anyone! It was just lovely and we were both completly blown away!

Day 5 - We left Exmouth and headed 155km south to Coral Bay. One of the great things about hiring the car was that we could stop for photos whenever we wanted and go wherever. On the way to Coral Bay we took a detour to Charles Knife Canyon and it was completly spectacular! This was real Australia and just completly amazing! The canyon was great and you got great views of the sea in the background.

Coral Bay - is just that, a bay!!! Population 50!!!!!! No running water as such, everything, including the showers were salt water!! One shop, petrol station, a few tourist offices and thats about it really. The bay was beautiful and we had 2 nights here. Its not a recognised town, hence the very basic facilites and it is very much just bare essentials. It was here that we were first introduced to our friends that would then be with us for the rest of our trip....the flys! Dear god, they were everywhere!! Buzzing around, up your nose, in your ears, it was horrible! Thankfully i still had my fly net that i bought for Uluru. I never thought i would wear it EVER in public, but i was never so grateful for it! You look like an idiot fly swatting with your hands, so i figured you might as well look like an idiot with a fly net on and conserve some energy in the heat. From here on in we never had a day below 35 degrees!! I have never got through so much insect repellent and sun tan cream in two weeks!!!

Between Exmouth and Coral Bay, all along the coast is the Ningaloo Marine Park. 250km long and only one of two reefs to be on the west side of a country in the world. Most people say that it is better than the Great Barrier Reef. Ningaloo is a fringe reef, so it is much more accesible and at most points is only 100m off shore. It is home to 500 species of fish and 220 species of hard coral. It is also home to the whale shark, the largest fish in the world, it can weigh up to 21 tonnes and 18m long!!! I explored the reef by snorkelling at Exmouth and Coral Bay and then both Kirsty and I went on a glass bottom boat and it was completly amazing!! I have never seen a reef like it. I didnt go to the Great Barrier Reef, but Kirsty did on her last trip and she said that Ningaloo was miles better! We didnt see any whale sharks, as it was out of season, but the coral was just amazing, it was great to see it from the glass bottom boat and then just jump in and have a snorkel too!

Day 7 - after a morning on the beach we headed back into civilisation (well as much as you can on the west coast!!) and headed 260km to Carnarvon. Here was literally just an over night stop, to break the journey, gather supplies at the supermarket and put my photos onto CD- by now i had taken 246!!! Opps!! We stayed in a caravan this night and it was SO much fun and such good value! It was all very grown up with the car and everything and by now i felt like i was truly on holiday!

Next stop and week 2- Shark Bay World Heritage Area. I will let you digest all this first though and blog again early next week with part II as we are off to Freemantle for the weekend to keep working on this tan, which has now suddenly appeared from nowhere, hooray!!!

Hope all is rockin with you guys!! xxx

West is Best...in photos!

2009-03-12T10:33:00.002Z

Exmouth - Cape Range National Park

Somewhere on the highway!!!!

Broome Time!

2009-02-25T10:23:00.002Z

Hello from Western Australia!!!

I made it to my final main land state and it feels good! And also very hot, it is by far the hottest place i have been in oz so far, 36 yesterday, now that is India revisited, sweating and all!

Completly love Broome, have very easily slipped into 'Broome Time' chilled and enjoying the sun and pool at the hostel. The town is very laid back and quite at the moment, as the wet season comes to an end, but it is still beautiful. The colours here are so vivid and if you get the opportunity you should definitly google earth this place! The sea is blue, the sand white and the red dirt that is everywhere makes you feel somwhere completly different!

80% of the world's pearls come from Broome. It has a rich pearl history and you can still see the pearl luggers out on the horizon. And if you wondering, of course i invested!!! Who wouldnt!? i have never seen pearls like it, shop after shop, thats all there really is to shop for here, lol!

So after nearly a week of going solo (which i soon settled into and have probably spoken to people who i wouldnt necessarily have done - inc. two lovely girls in my room for Tawain) Kirst arrived this afternoon and it has been so good to see her! It has also been good to have a great conversation and not in pigeon enlgish, hehe!! She has bought some homely comforts which have gone down very well! i am just about to tuck into only my second bar of galaxy since i have been away, its going to be good! something i have learnt from this trip, never take a good piece of chocolate for granted!

So what is the plan? Well we have decided to go on the ultimate road trip and drive down the west coast to perth, all 2,500km!! In two weeks! I am SO excited, its going to be amazing and will be great to have the luxury of a car and go where we want when we want! It turns out that it is cheaper than using the public transport and we will be able to see so much more! The internet is very expensive, so probably wont have time to blog now until we reach Perth two weeks on Friday.

Just a quick hello, to say all is well! Will update you when i can! xxx

The Top End!

2009-02-20T03:22:00.005Z

Hello from Darwin!

I love this place, its great!! So completly different to what i expected and so its been a really great week!

Darwin - loads of history and although all relativly young, all completly fascinating. Did you know as i sit here now, i am closer to Singapore than i am Canberra and closer to Jakarta than i am Sydney!! Thats slightly crazy, but kinda cool as well and is just one example of how huge this country is!! Darwin is really isolated from the rest of oz, once you leave town there is not a lot around, katherine and Alice Springs are probably the nearest towns and the later is 1,400 km away! So i was really surprised when i discovered that it is full of young people, a great nightlife and modern buildings.

One of the reasons for the modern buildings is because of the threat of cyclones here. There is no high rise buildings, because everything is built so that it is as protected as much as it can be against a cyclone. Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Day 1974 was Australia's worst natural disaster and literally blew Darwin to the ground. There was nothing left, everybody was evacuated and many did not return. So really, where i sit now is only 30 years old. Whether the bush fires in victoria will now be seen as Australia's worst natural disaster, im unsure, but the pictures that i have seen of the effects of Cyclone Tracy, it is pretty remarkable how built up Darwin now is.

Another major impact on life in the top end, was World War II. Two weeks after Pearl Harbour, the Japeneese bombed Darwin with twice as many bombs, it just so happens that the anniversary of the attack was yesterday and so there was a service at the cenotaph. Darwin again was destroyed, and i think it is maybe these two major events that contribute to the positive vibe here. It makes Cairns look like a wet drip!!

So its been a great week, and its gone really quickly. It started off with my aunt visiting me for the weekend which was great! We had lots of fun, including hireing a car! First time of driving in 5 months, just like riding a bike! Was a really good way to see the suburbs, as its all a bit spread out. I also drove along the Stuart Highway, the road that goes all the way to Adelaide pretty much, so that was kinda cool as we started at the bottom of that road for our tour up to Uluru.

We have done 2 day trips this week. One to Litchfield National Park and on to Kakadu. Litchfiled was really great, we went on a jumping crocodile cruise, where they bait the crocs out of the water, so that they jump for you. Its quite controversial up here, especially between states and its actually the only place in the world that you can see it! Then the afternoon was spent, admiring waterfalls and swimming in the rock pools which was loads of fun! Jen and I realised on that trip how much we take for granted these days, it was awesome, but my aunt, Debra, just loved it!

Kakadu National Park http://www.kakadu.com.au/ is Australia's largest at 22,000 sq/km. We were never going to see it in a day, and didnt really have the time or money to do a 3 day trip. Plus camping in the wet season, didnt really appeal either! It was a long day, but we still had a fantastic time. We saw some amazing rock art which has been there for 1,000s of years and went on a cruise along the Yellow Waters. We saw a croc there 2 which is always cool, and we had glorious weather which was great as the day before it had rained all day! There was so much water around, it really is wet here at this time of year, we did a cruise where people normally walk on a broadwalk during the dry season, now thats a lot of water!

Its really hot and humid here, so yesterday i decided that the hair had to go! It was an unecessary heat trap and so the bob look is back and i think it looks nice! I dont know, Jen leaves me for 5 minutes and thats what i end up doing!! although today has been a lot cooler with less hair, so thats got to be a good sign, its probably the first time i have worn it down in 5 weeks, lol!

I love the Northern Territory, it has to be my favourite state so far, and only one more to go, Western Australia, and i think WA will be its only contender. Its all very chilled out here, although Broome is meant to be even more relaxed, which hopefully means im in for a good weekend.

Jen left yesterday and after 5 months together, it was really sad to see her go and very wierd when she was not there this morning when i woke up. But im sure that i will just get used to some time by myself and then Kirsty arrvies on Weds! I cant wait to see her and journey down the west coast together.

So yet another time zone tomorrow, i will only then be 9 hours ahead and it is only 6 weeks until i fly to Singapore. Its completly crazy!

Have a gd weekend whatever you are up to, i think i might top up the tan, although i think 37degrees may be too hot for sunbathing!!!!

The East Coast Finale!

2009-02-12T02:47:00.003Z

Hello from a lovley and sunny Cairns!

Well this week hasnt been quite as i had originally planned, but nevertheless its been great. Im so pleased that we took the decision to fly, the road only opened yesterday and i cant imagine to begin the back log of people at both ends of the road who couldnt afford to fly. It is also a much needed relief here as well, although the rain hasnt been as bad as around the Townsville area there has been no way to get supplies to the supermarkets, so there has been no fresh food all week and the shelves are getting barer by the day. So im pleased to be fly to Darwin tonight, although im sure things will get back to normal here now the road is open.

Cairns is ok, its not the greatest place i have been so far but has actually been a good base for things to see and do and we have been staying in the most lovely hostel which always makes things a bit easier. http://www.dreamtimetravel.com.au/index.html

Although this one maybe too homely, if thats possible and some mornings i have woken and thought i was at home (the bed is that comfy!). The staff have been really friendly here and the whole place just has a very chilled vibe, with a great kitchen (such a rarity on the east coast) and a great lounge area and room. I like hostel life, although you never seem to get a good room and a good lounge, its always one or the other, but this place has both, bonus!

So putting aside a couple of days of r and r we went up to Cape Tribulation for the weekend (as you do!) and it was brilliant! The rainforest was full of life during this 'wet' season and we did some great walks. Cape Trib is home to the oldest rainforest in the world and is wher the Great Barrier Reef starts. Interesting fact, its called Cape Tribulation as good old Captain Cook came into trouble here, when his boat ran aground, so the bays along this coast are named, sorrow, doubtfull, tribulation...i think we get his thinking! I had my first 'accident' of the trip, i fell over crossing a creek, the road was flooded and we werent sure how to do it without getting wet. It turns out i needn't have worried, i got soaked as i slipped on some moss and gained some pretty impressive war wounds too, (like dad said...no need for a tattoo now ;-) ) but fear not im ok and at least there was no wildlife lurking....

We also went on a croccodile cruise along the Daintree River. Our first experience of crocs here and they are pretty massive and powerful animals. Unfortunatly our trip was overshadowed as on our way up crossing the river (just by ferry) a little boy had been taken by a croccodile just 30 minutes before we got there. Apparently this is a very uncommon experience, the little boys parents run one of the croccodile cruises and he was on the edge of the river (tide was really high that morning) with his brother and dog. sadly the dog went into the river and the little boy followed and into the mouth of the croc. It was pretty stomach churning, the helicopter was hovering as we got there and all the rescue workers. Sadly he hasnt been found. That made our cruise on Monday slightly upsetting, but the guide spoke a lot of sense, it was a tragic accident, but they are wild animals and the crocs dont diffientiate between kangaroos, frogs or humans.

Anyway, we still had a great trip and im really pleased that at least we got up there, it hardly rained and we got back to Cairns without any roads being closed due to flooding, bonus!

Yesterday we also went out for the day as it was Jen's birthday. We went to a small village set in the hills of the rainforest, 25km out of Cairns, called Kurunda. It was a really good afternoon out, it was a gloriously sunny day and very hot. We had a lovely lunch and just browsed the shops. Both Jen and I have been looking out for some idigineous art ever since we went to Uluru and hoped that over the next week at Darwin and for me in Broome we would find some really authentic and not just for the tourism market. We went into a really nice gallery at Kurunda yesterday, the paintings were very beautiful but very overpriced, you were looking at $800 plus. We just kept wondering and then came accross a local artist with a very small gallery. We got chatting to the guy, who was very passionate about the stories the paintings tell (i find that really interesting) and poor guy i think between us we ended up buying about half of his collection!!! They are beautiful and i am so pleased with the pieces i got. What was $500 down the road, i got for $0, which is just crazy. It has never been about the money, but it just shows what sort of cut these places. It was very special, we got them signed (and Jen got happy birthday on hers which is really cool!) and we now know that this old chap will benefit from his profits, which is great!

So it was such a great day, indigineous art in one hand and mango smoothie in the other, it was a moment when i thought life cant get much better than this! I was like the cat that had the cream! We then went out for dinner last night, which is just always such a treat and then went to a couple of bars although Cairns was very quite.

So today we are just getting a few odd jobs done and then we fly to Darwin this evening. After months together, Jen starts to make her journey home next Thursday. I will really miss her, i have never spent this amount of time with one single person and its been great. But its also really exciting as i then fly to Broome at the top of west coast where i am meeting up with a great uni friend, Kirsty and we are going down the west coast together, which im really excited about. This is where the real adventure starts, no one tends to travel the west and so its going to be great to do something a bit off the beaten track. It probably means there wont be as many blog updates, as i expect the internet to be expensive, but i will check in when i can.

So thats it really, I hope all is well with you and the weather (rain, snow, cold) is not causing too much chaos!

Have a good weekend, lots of love, E xxxxx

Day 150!

2009-02-10T02:25:00.001Z

Hello from Cairns!

I realise that i havent blogged about life in a drier (yay!) Cairns just yet, and today my internet time is coming to an end, but be assured its on my list of things to do!

But i just wanted to document that today i have been travelling for 150 days, which equates to 5 months on Saturday!! Thats pretty hardcore i reckon, but is slightly worrying that i only have 3 months left and there is still so much to see! Well you cant do it all first time around, can you!!

One Big Adventure!

2009-02-04T06:55:00.002Z

Well im still sat here in Airlie Beach!

And its just a quick post to bring you all up to date, as our plans for the east coast change everyday. Thankfully the rain has now stopped, although there are still showers around. Cyclone Ellie did her damage further north around Townsville and Mission Beach (where we should be right now!)

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24993854-952,00.html

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news.html

The highway is still shut and with more rain fall predicted there is just no way that we will be making it up to Cairns by bus in the next week to get our flight to Darwin on 12 Feb. So, we have had to cut our loses and have decided to fly out of here tomorrow (thurs) to Cairns. We are missing out on a few east coast highlights, but its not worth worrying about as we wouldnt be able to enjoy them at the moment and would just be worrying all the time about how we are going to get out of the next place! All part of the adventure, but i do need to be on that plane next week, weather permitting!

it is going to be a bit of an indian jones style get away with bus, boat to Hamilton Island, fly out of here on a very small quantas link plane and on to Cairns. although we will now have a week there, i hope there is more to do than there is here in Airlie, although i cant believe how quickly time has gone really. Hopefully we will still get up to Cape Tribulation as planned, although there is still rumour that the cyclone is reforming at sea, the met are now saying this is unlikley, so fingers crossed!

Its been a frustrating week, people here havent been very helpful basicaly saying its our fault we chose to come here in wet season, however it is thier worst flooding in 30 years and no one can help that! Yesterday, after our bus was cancelled we moved hostels (just made a quick dash because everybody on the bus didnt have a bed!) and stumbled accross a really great hostel, which even has an oven, which although a common sight in New Zealand hasnt been here. It is so lovely and clean i took my thongs (flip flops!) off for the first time last nite in nearly 2 weeks and boy did it feel good! We had a mamouth lay in as well, the bed is lush and there is a pillow!! :-) So im feeling re charged, slightly more chilled and will be a lot happier when we make it to Cairns tomorrow.

So thats the update really, i will let you know how i get on!

Highs & Lows

2009-02-02T03:17:00.002Z

Well what a week! And today its not the typical hello from a very suuny airlie beach but a hello from a very wet and soggy Ellen!

Last week started out great and we had a fantastic trip to Fraser Island, I had so much fun, it was such a beautiful place with beautiful weather and great people and we had loads of fun on a self drive 4WD around the island for a couple of nites. We camped on the beach (very basic!!) but was great and didnt get attacked by a dingo which is always a bonus! Although im still not sure what i would have done if i had been caught squatting by a dingo....answers on a postcard!!!

Unfortunatly this weekend hasnt gone to plane and our trip to the Whitsundays was cut short because of Cyclone Ellie that is hitting the Townsville and Cairns area at the moment, we are a few hours south but getting the tail ends although it feels like some one has turned the tap on and it aint going anywhere! so no, fear not we are not caught up in the searing heat or bush fires, we are in a very very wet Queensland and just will be lucky to get out of Airlie tomorrow as planned! It sounds like the main roads a bit further north are the problem and although we still have to get up to Cairns to fly out, we are pretty flexible over the next week as to how and when we get there! But when they say wet season it really is wet! Oh well, I havent even seen rain like this at Glasto!

So the boat trip wasnt what i quite had in mind, the first afternoon everybody felt pretty rough but did manage to get out for a snorkel and thats still pretty cool to say i snorkled on the great barrier reef i suppose !! :-) The crew were really good and the food great (although Jen suffered more than i did!) Yesterday after a snorkel in the morning we were called back in and so have just spent today getting wetter and wetter moving from hostel to hostel and trying to stake a claim for some compensation (which were kind of succesful in), checking weather and buses!

It is the first major thing not to go quite to plan on my trip (the photos look more like Milford Sound in NZ than teh postcards that are for sale here at the Whitsundays!) but hey ho, its just another thing to add on my list for next time :-) and its all part of the adventure!!

Spirits are low today but im sure they will pick up again soon, i cant wait to get over to the west coast now! I think the east will need a re run at some point, anybody up for that?!! ;-)

Hope your not all too cold, it sounds like everybody has bad weather at the moment! Wrap up warm and i will don the waterproof!

xxx

Sydney - Brisbane!

2009-01-21T05:28:00.002Z

Hello from a very sunny and HOT Brisbane!

Well what a week it has been, i cant believe we are here already and that we only left Sydney 10 days ago! So we are now in Queensland, that means only one more state (western australia) and i have seen them all, how cool is that!

So travelling up the east coast is really fun! Its really busy, all the buses are full and you have to be really organised keeping on top of the game, but thankfully im quite good at that!! So, we left Sydney and took a short bus ride (2.5hrs ish) to Newcastle. We stayed in a really lovely hostel there (you can always rely on a good YHA!!) it was right on the beach, so we spent our one day there exploring in the morning and recovering on the beach in the afternoon!

From there we went to Coffs Harbour, it was a long day getting there, probably about 7 hours on the bus, but no air conditioning meant it was quite hot at times! I think any ice creams i had last week were sweated off on bus journeys, hehe!! Coffs was cool, a bit spread out though which made it difficult to explore, although theres not a lot to really see there, we walked along the harbour and the beach, although it was too windy to lay on the beach that day and not be covered in sand, any more than usual! We had two days here, which was probably just right. Although we are doing the east coast quite quickly (because my friend Jen who i am travelling with is going back to the UK) i still feel like we have had the right amount of time in each place, which is great! The highlight of Coffs is the Big Banana! Yes Banana! Coffs main export is bananas and to celebrate this, they have this big plastic banana on the highway! Yes, i know it all sounds very cheesy, but according to the banana goodie shop (dont worry i didnt indulge!!) over a million photos are taken off this banana a year! Theres a small theme park type thing there, but that was too energetic for us, so it was a banana smoothie and banana split (to share) and it was awesome!! So that was Coffs, all about the banana!

From there we have had this weekend just gone in Byron Bay. It has been my favourite place so far, but unfortunatly it rained all weekend and was cold too (22/23!!). It was a shame, because the beaches there are beautiful and the hostel had a really ncie pool as well. We had too console ourselves on Saturday night with a box of wine and dominos and it did do the trick, although im sure i have that seasonal defective disorder, two days without the sun and it was just so sad! It was a great place there though, also a couple of km walk away from the most easterly point of main land Australia, so we walked up there on Sunday afternoon, which was pleasant. I liked it here because it had a great hippy/surfer vibe. It is still clased as quite an 'alternative' place and i liked all the independent shops here.

Our next stop on Monday could not have been more different. Surfers Paradise and into Queensland. It was like going from Austin to Florida. High rise buildings, chain stores, theme parks and sunshine!!! We only had a night here, as its only really good for nightlife and then recovering the next day on the beach, which is exactly what we did!!

So no wonder, when we arrived in Brisbane last night at about 7pm i was shattered!! Its ok here, it doesnt have the greatest reputation around oz and i havent seen anything yet to change that. I prefer Adelaide i think, for cities on a smaller scale. We have just two days here, before we head to Noosa on the sunshine coast for a couple of nights and then on Sunday afternoon we arrive in Hervey Bay to enable us to depart to Fraser Island on Monday (australia day!!). Im really excited about Fraser Island, everyone you meet says it is a highlight and we are doing a 3 day/2 night self drive adventure! There will be 10 of us in our group and you are given a briefing the afternoon before and maps etc and then just go off and explore! It should be really good, and will be great to drive again, just got my fingers crossed i dont get us stuck in the sand!

Then its the Whitsundays after, it really is all go but its exciting, the fast pace is good, lets just hope we can keep it up! I'll let you know.....!!!!

Sydney!

2009-01-11T21:23:00.003Z

Monday morning, and as i admire the sydney skyline from the window with the sun shining, i know now why i love this city!

We leave this afternoon to head up the east coast by bus over the next month. Im excited to be moving on, we havent travelled like we are going to these next few weeks since New Zealand, seeing everything but not staying in one place for more than a couple of days. But im really sad to leave too. I have had a great weekend.

This week, has been busy visitng old haunts, for me the beginning of the week was spent on the beach, Bondi and then Manly, making the most of the gorgeous weather, and then on Weds we went on a trip to the Blue Mountains. Only an hours drive out of the city and it was spectacular, like going from London to home really, but this was definitly not Essex! A great place to escape the city and loads of walks too, you could easily spend long weekends there just chilling out!

On Friday before Nicky went home we went to see Madama Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House. It was wonderful. The performance, the venue, everything about it i just loved. It was a lot smaller inside than i expected and people dont lie when they say it truly is the best place for interval drinks in the world, stunning.

On Saturday we checked out the Sydney Festival. For the opening night they close down the city and bands play in the streets. It was completly rammed, too busy for the Cat Empire, but we did catch Santagold and then decided to cut our loses and see the fireworks from the balcony instead!! Sunday's have to be my favourite days here, because even though everyone has gotten up adn gone to work this morning there never is that Sunday feeling of dome and gloom! We went to Bondi (got to love it!) yesterday afternoon, caught some rays and then had a couple of glasses of wine and food with Becs and her friends. Its been great! Last Sunday i went with Becs to the Moonlight Cinema and saw Rock n Rolla. I really enjoyed the film, but the whole atmosphere was just lovely, very chilled, picnic, bean bags and film under the stars, are you getting an idea of why i love it here!??

Another reason is that the beaches are just so close, and there are so many to choose from!! I love Manly and the ferry ride is always fun, its great to watch the surfers there and has a good holiday feel to it. Bondi i just think is brilliant! and then Coogee i would probably go to for some more chilled out vibes!

The city is all so close together, but the suburbs are clearly defined. I love the Rocks, very historical, up by the bridge and has loads of quaint pubs and is good for a sunday walk, followed by a trip to the opera bar (last sunday!!) I also really like Paddington. Becs and I went there on Saturday afternoon for a browse around the shops and markets, some cool side streets there and always good for a wonder!

Everytime i have walked past the opera house over the bridge, i have had to pinch myself! This is one place where i have never taken the views for granted! And although I will be sad to go, we have been here a month now, its great to know the city will always be here and i can always come back! So, bring on the east coast!!!!

Sydney in Pictures!

2009-01-10T01:06:00.004Z

New Years Day on Bondi!

Opera House for Madama Butterfly (brilliant!!)

Introducing Scouting for Girls to the world!!

Boxing Day!

Christmas BBQ on the beach!!

Happy New Year from Sydney!

2009-01-08T03:47:00.002Z

Happy New Year!!

Well, I cant believe it has been soo long since i have lost blogged, where have these past couple of weeks gone! I cant believe that i have been in Sydney for nearly a month either, i love it here though, its amazing!!!

We have had a great time and done so much, im not even sure where to start! The week before Christmas we spent on the beach at Manly. Its a great surfing town which you can reach by ferry in 30 mins from Sydney. You also get a great view of the harbour from the ferry. It also helped that summer is now definitly here and we could chill on the beach most days. After our Uluru tour it was a welcomed chilled out week, topped off with an essential trip to the hairdressers!! I think the hairdresser was quite disgusted at the mop that was my hair and i couldnt quite believe it when she asked 'and how do you stylye your hair!!!"

Christmas week we were back in the city and staying in the main backpacker area just by china town. In line with a traditional Eley Christmas Eve we went to the cinema and saw Four Holidays and then went out for a couple of drinks before i headed to Midnight Mass.

Christmas day we spent on Coogee beach, and it was fabulous! Although it was overcast in the morning it was still warm and by early afternoon we were frying, fantastic! The beach was rammed and there was a great atmosphere! Everybody sported something festive and we took a picnic and had a bbq on the beach, christmas crackers and all!! We like to think our mothers would be proud of our feast that day and we even topped that on New Years Eve which we did not think was possible, lol!! Christmas on the beach was everything i had always imagined it would be! Just completly chilled and moving at my own pace! It has to be the first Christmas that i didnt watch one thing on tv and spent the majority of it outside, i think we finally dragged ourselves off the beach at abou 7pm, fantastic!

After Christmas we had the luxury of a hotel for the week over New Years. It was great to stay on a different side of the city and the location turned out really well, even though we booked it with no idea of Sydney! It was also a great location for me as my cousin lives just around the corner from the hotel and so we had the luxury of using her oven to cook our NYE feast, thanks Becs!!! We stayed at Rushcutters Bay this week and decided to stake out a spot and watch the fireworks from this side of town and i am so pleased we did! It was a military organisation that required a lot planning (i loved it!!) but boy it was worth every second! Nicky got THE spot at 9.30am whilst me and jen sorted out the picnic and then joined her later in the morning and we sat there all day and waited. It was roasting!!! And too hot to do anything apart from lay!! But that was fine and when the sun finally went down early in the evening we enjoyed our feast and mini bar, there was a fantastic sunset over the city and then the fireworks started! They have a set here at 9pm for the familys and then the midnight ones as well! The theme this year was Creation and it was just spectacular! We were also really lucky (although it was planned!) that we were right in front of a firework barge as well, so you really did not know where to look at times! It was just a great evening, the atmosphere was fab and i cant imagine a nye anywhere else now!!!

There is loads more to update you on, but i think i will do that in a seperate blog, so its not information overload! We leave Sydney on Monday, but this weekend the Sydney festival starts and so we are staying with Becs for the weekend. There is no time for new years blues in this city, the part is just getting started!!!

Day 100!

2008-12-22T04:52:00.002Z

Hello from a lovely and sunny Sydney!

Well, today i have been away for 100 days!! How cool is that! Have never really thought about it before, but Julie knew when her day 100 was when we met her the other week and then we decided to figure ours out...and its today!!

Celebrated by going up the sky tower, which offered pretty good views of Sydney, although the opera house and bridge look very tiny in comparison to everything else in the city from up there!

Had a good week chilling on the beach at Manly last week and thankfully the weather held out, which was nice. Back in the city now and went to a christmas carol concert on Saturday night, headlined by Delta Goodrum with a 100,000 fellow sydneysiders! Was really good fun. I cant believe its Christmas in a couple of days, i was walking round town yesterday afternoon and for the last weekend before Christmas the shops were very calm and there was no all out war like at home. I like it, its chilled out, no fuss and everybody is happy, isnt that what Christmas should be about it??

So im off to the beach this Christmas (weather permitting) a lifetime goal accomplished and really looking forward to it, I hope you all have a great Christmas where ever you may be.

Merry Christmas!

E xxx

A Magical Week in the Red Centre!

2008-12-15T00:23:00.003Z

Hello from a sunny Sydney!!! How cool is that!! Im still really excited to be here and arrived on Friday evening!

Had an amazing week in the outback, probably the best experience of my whole trip so far, it was just everything i had hoped it to be and more! It was shattering though, the trip was 6 days, and we got up at 4am everyday bar one, to see the sun rise, but was sooo worth it, but has meant a couple of lazy mornings here so far!

I dont even know where to start, we saw so much and a lot of it was so different to what i expected. So its probably easier if i do it by days, so here we go:-

Day 1 - we left Adelaide and drove 885km up the Stuart Highway (this highwat goes all the way from Port Augustas to Darwin!!) to Coober Pedy, arriving at 6.30pm, having left at 6.30am and just driven ALL day! Apart from a couple of toilet stops and an hour for lunch, we just drove and drove and drove, and its not like NZ where there is something to look at, its just desert, thats it. Nothing to see, nothing to do and boy was i pleased when that journey was over!! It was like being in Star Wars, and living on Tatoween!! Very Cool, but after a while the amusement wore off!

For those of you who dont know, Coober Pedy (CP) is the Opal capital of the world and they all live underground there! Its a cross between teh flinstones and star wars again. This is the first settlement you come accross since Port Augustas, about 700km south and the nearest thing north is Alice Springs probably about another 1,000km, so its quite remote and all a bit wierd! Everything is underground, including the church, as in the summer it can reach 61 degrees!!! We stayed in a cave too, which was pretty cool and then had DAY 2 to explore here as well. You didnt really need longer than a day, but we got some pretty good photos, had a tour of a mock cave home and learnt about all the mining techniques, which the people of CP have devised themselves....they use explosives quite a lot and up until 9/11 you could go into the supermarket and buy them over the counter, lol! now you need a permit, but people often get their cars blown up in the town, as pranks....wierd!!

On our Day 3 which was 8/12/08 we met up with our next group who we would be with for the rest of our trip. We had a great guide, Pip, who was a very good Kylie look a like, her knowledge was amazing and it makes such a difference when you get a good guide! The fact that she was only a year older than us was quite scary, as i wouldnt have known how to change a tyre in the middle of the outback!! So we left CP and watched the sunrise of the opal mines, it was really amazing, got some great pics from the highway and that road is just so quiet, you can lay in it and watch the sunrise!! We spent all day again driving to Uluru (ayres rock) Left at 5am and didnt get to camp until 9pm, plus we gained an hour in time crossing into the Northern Territory border...got a flat tyre and drove through some terrential rain...it has to be the longest day ever!! By the time we ate and set up camp we had been up 21 hours and then had to get up at 4am the next day!!! Crazy stuff!! We did break up our third day at a Aboriginal Village, to look at an arts centre there, which an english lady has set up. The Aboriginal people are actually quite scary, they dont speak english and can get very violent, especially when they are drunk (we saw this in Alice Springs) but the art work was really interesting as they all tell stories, i wish i could have got something, as all the money raised supports the community, but its just how would you get it home!!!

We spent the next two nights at Yulara, the camp just outside Ayres Rock National Park. We slept in sways, which was really good fun, basically just a waterproof sleeping bag, you could go to sleep and watch the stars, it was amazing, and sooo hot!! Thankfully we survived all three nights, with no snake or spide dramas! I think i was the only one in the whole group not to get a mozzi bite (very proud) and the only thing i saw that was vaguely alarming was a massive lizard, that should belong in a zoo with the spider in Fiji!! I was just reading my book sitting on the grass, looked up and it was there!!! Thankfully it got scared by the music and waddled away!! Sway sleeping is def the way forward!! although im not sure it would work for Glasto, as you would probably get washed away!!

So Day 4 we watched the sunrise from Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and had a distant view of Uluru. It was beautiful. By 6am we had already started our 7.4km walk around the Valley of the Winds, to beat the morning sun. It was a really good walk, The Olgas are made up of about 50 rocks, where as Uluru is obviously just one, but they are in the same National Park. we saw our first wild kangaroo and there was also a waterfall there, which is VERY rare!! They have had a lot of rain in this region over the past two weeks, we got washed out on our last day at Kings Canyon, but it meant the desert was a luscious green, not many people can say they have seen it like this. We then visited the Uluru Aboriginal Centre and learnt about how the Aboriginal people use Uluru in their teachings. We had the afternoon free to recover and chill by the pool, which was much needed and then we watch the sunset over Uluru which has to be the highlight of the trip for me! It was magical. Massive black thunder clouds, but no rain, just lightening in the background, a rainbow over the rock and the sun seeping through in the background. We had pre dinner snacks and just had an amazing evening.

day 5 - up at 4 again and this time it was sunrise right at the base of Uluru. The traditional sunrise viewing area is a very sacred sight for the aboriginal people and they dont like people taking pictures from this angle. We walked around the base of Uluru (roughly 9km) and certain parts you cant take pictures because these are sacred spots. I respected this wish, as i felt a really strong presence there. Its not just a rock to me anymore, it is so much more. When you are that close, they are so many different holes and patters and scars and if you let your imagination go a bit, they can all tell a story and you can see different patterns. It was very different to what i expected and i really felt trapped in a spell almost as we walked around. Pip then took us on a story telling walk around one section of the rock. There are four aboriginal stories that they use to teach morals to their children and they all relate to animals. You can see the different animals marks (foot prints, snake lines etc) in the rock when you are up close. On this day we had a cool front of 30degrees, but with a bus with broken air con it felt more like 50!!!

on this afternoon we made our way to Kings Canyon, where we camped on our final night. on the way we passed through a very impressive dust storm and despite being a wash out for the past two weeks we had a dry night, although on the last part of our canyon walk the next day we did get glastonbury style soaked!!!! It was a 5.5km walk up and along the canyon rim...you could see the storm coming for miles. We spent some time at the Garden of Eden swimming in the rock pool. Again, there is not normally any water to swim in, so that was pretty cool to!

After the walk we made our way back to Alice Springs. Another whole day of driving really, although they days feel a lot longer when you get up at 4!! It was a 7 1/2 hour drive (are you getting an idea of the vastness now!!!) and by the time we got to Alice i was completly shattered! But washing needed to be done etc! Didnt really see anything of Alice, just a quick wonder to the supermarket and we left early the next morning to make our way to here, as we had to fly via Adelaide. But dont think i missed anything really!

All in all it was a fantastic trip, i hope this gives you some idea. It will be a lot easier when im back and have the pictures to explain alongside the writing!

So now its monday morning in Sydney, and Jen has just gone to the airport to meet her friend Nicky who has come out from home to spend the next 3 and a bit weeks with us. This afternoon im getting the ferry over to Manly to spend a couple of days on the beach and they are joining me tomorrow.

Sydeny is really great, loving it already, just trying to decide what to do for NYE, but there seems to be plenty of options. Christmas Carols in the park next saturday, which should be fun! Have forgotten about Christmas really, but getting more in the festive spirit now, and really looking forward to it!

Anyway, best go!! hope all is well with everybody!

Ellen xxxxx

Adelaide!

2008-12-05T04:50:00.002Z

Hello from Southern Australia!!

Just a little side note to start with, we are now a third of the way through our trip!! I cant believe it!! We have done soo many amazing things already, yet there seems to be sooo many more amazing things to experience and so many other countries as well, its scary in a way to think we are a third of the way through! You meet people who count the days, or cross off the days, but thats not me! I dont like to cross off days, i take each one as it comes and im quite happy doing that! If I feel like this is not for me anymore I can always come home early, or later or on time, it does not matter!! But I just wanted to mention this landmark...........

So, I made it to Adelaide and have had a good few days exploring the city!!

It feels good to be somewhere different and to explore again! We arrived early on Tuseday morning after an overnight journey by bus from Melbourne. It was nothing like my indian overnight bus experience and was very chilled and relaxed and I even slept for most of the way! They even played a movie - What Happened In Vegas - and after that I was out for the count until we arrived, so it was all good! The hostel we are staying in this week is nice and small and friendly which makes a nice change, from the chain brands that we have been staying in since we arrived here. There is a small tv room so have chilled out nearly evening watching films which has been great, as we did not watch tv the whole time we were in Melbourne!!! Tuseday I was not as shattered as I thought I would be so after freshening up and a supermarket shop we just wondered around town and got a bit more familiar with the city, although all of it is blocked designed so its really easy to find your way around!

On Wednesday we had a lazy morning, the hostel we are staying at has a free breakfast which includes pancakes! Its sooo funny watching everybody attempting to make pancakes, im not sure i have seen one yet that vaguely even resembles a pancake! I think its more amusing to sit and watch rather than actually eat them and i have been quite content with my weet-bix and hot milk this week, although its summer here, its such a homely breakfast it has just had to be done! In the afternoon we went on a self guided walk around the city, and as usual we were pretty darn good at it! It was a gloriously sunny day and we wondered around North Adelaide, passed the festival centre where the Adelaide International Guitar Festival is currently on!!! And then passed the Adelaide Oval cricket ground....im not a cricket person, but the stadiums over here are massive! We then headed for the city lookout but it wasnt all that much, and definitly cant compare to some of the volcanoe's we climbed in NZ for views! But still it was worth it, and then we wondered back through Adelaide suburbier and through the Botantical Gardens and pass the zoo!

There was a bit of a thing started on our day trip to Philip Island of taking photos of road signs...you can get some really funny ones and Julie had loads from all of her travels around Oz, so Jen and I decided to join in the fun!! As we walked passed Adelaide Zoo there was a roadsign of ducks crossing (which I have not come accross yet in Oz - they are normally of Koalas or Kangaroos etc!) so the picture just had to be taken! And then as we walked 3meters down the road...what was there...ducks crossing...amazing!! That just proves the signs are there for a reason!! Weds evening i wowed Jen again with my spaghetti bolognase and it may have even been the best yet!! :-) We havent had it since we arrived in Oz, so it did taste extra good!

On Thursday we finally sucumb to all the trips we have resisted so far and went on a wine tour of the Barossa Valley and it was BRILLIANT!!! Just an hours drive through the Adelaide hills and you are at the premium wine area in Australia! The area specalises in Shiraz so was right up my street and by the end of the 35 samples (!!!!) Jen was loving a glass of the old red too! We started off at Jacobs Creek, yes Jacobs Creek! Im not a massive fan myself, but is cool to say I have now been there! Over 65% of their wines produced here are exported to the UK!!!!! It was a $5million building with all the mod cons and we got a brief history of the company etc, but it was very commercial and the wine was not that great! The girl who did the tastings did not know any of the answers to the questions which i thought was pretty bad, and was probably my least favourite winery of the day, although not many people get to stop there so is cool to say i have been! Plus their sparkling Shiraz which was a cellar door only purchase was pretty darn good and at 10.30am I was not complaining!!!

We went to four wineries in total, and the sparkling Shiraz's deffinitly stood out for me! But we were both out for the count by 2.30pm on the bus home!! The other three we went to were all small companies, unfortunatly the nicest was a cellar door only, which was a shame as i would have bought a bottle if i was not moving on tomorrow. The girl there was also really good at telling you what to look for and she was pretty pissed too, so was just funny!! We had a BBQ for lunch and i ate my first kangaroo!!! Well, it just had to be done really and whilst it was kinda free I thought i would seize the moment!! It was fine really, just tasted like raw beef, but im not sure i will be going out of my way to try it again!

So now its Friday afternoon and we start our outback experience tomorrow morning at 6.30am!! Its 6 days altogether, stopping off at Cobber Pedy for two nights and sleeping underground, and then on to Uluru for two nights (camping in swags, wish me luck!!) and then a night at Kings Canyon. Arriving into Alice Springs next Thursday evening, and then flying to Sydney on Friday 12th where we will then be until the new year, as Jen has a friend coming out from home to spend the next few weeks with us. Im really excited about the tour, i think and hope it is going to be amazing - we have only met one person who was bitten by a snake and only one person who got bitten by a scorpion, so all in all i think it will be fine!!!!!

So, have a good week. Unfortunatly this pc does not let me upload photos either but i will when i next can, which will be the big smoke of Sydney!

Have a good week, i hope it is not too cold with you guys!!

E xxxx

Philip Island & Moving On!

2008-11-30T05:13:00.008Z

Hello!

That time of the week again and this weekend it feels even better because after 3 weeks of cleaning bathrooms and the kitchen I have finished work, im out of the city and currently enjoying a sunny weekend on the beach! HOORAY!! I have really enjoyed my time in
Melbourne and its been a great way to save some money, but I am so desperate to move on and really excited to!

After all the birthday celebrations at the beginning of the week, I have just really spent this week getting organised for the next couple, as I dont want to be spending my time in Adeliade doing all the boring old jobs and I dont think im going to find much in the outback either! Although on Wednesday I went back to being a tourist, and visited the Melbourne Goal. It was really interesting as this is where Ned Kelly was imprisoned and then hung, so they had quite a lot on the Kelly Gang and their armour too, which all really interests me! I learnt quite a lot on the way too, because i went early in the morning before work, there were lots of school groups there and so i ear wigged where possible!! Great!

Yesterday we went on a day trip to Philip Island for the penguin parade and it was brilliant! Probably one of the best day trips yet, topped off with free pizza and tea and biscuits for dinner, it doesnt get much better! In the middle of the week we also met up with Julie who we met in Fiji, its been great to see her again and she came with us to Philip Island too!

It was a great day trip because for once you got a lay in and didnt leave till midday, as the little penguins are night people! We started off the day at a winery and got to sample some wine, although it wasnt the nice i have had (maybe something to do with the night out we had on Friday??!!) The island in the background of this pic is called French Island and it is mainly a wildlife park and you can only access it by boat or kayak but the lovley Aussie favourite...Kylie...has a house on there to escape the crowds...how cool!!

We then had the best time ever at a Wildlife Park where we saw Koalas (they were sooo cute) and got to feed the kangaroos!! The Kangaroos were actually quite scary because they were quite massive and jumped a lot!! One girl got really jumped on but i eventually plucked up courage and fed them!! By the way if you are thinking the hair looks different that is because Julie has GHDs!!! And it is only the second time since i have been away that i have had straight hair...amazing!! So we had a very happy snappy day, lol!!

The Penguin Parade was brilliant and i saw soo much more than i thought you would. You could not take any pictures there because of the flashes, but basically you waited until dusk and then the penguins just started coming in and out of the sea on to the beach and going back in again and then in small groups waddled up the beach, it was soo cool you didnt know where to look at times! And then as they made thier ways to the burrows you could follow them along the broadwalks and they literally walked alongside you! Ace!

This computer is being a bit annoying at uploading photos, but i will try again somewhere else as it was deffinitly a fun filled day!

So thats it, we are now in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda and im off to Albert Park tomorrow to leave my good luck vibes for Lewis for the Australian GP next year! And then we are getting the bus to Adelaide...not expecting that much, but am looking forward to being a lady of leisure again and preparing ourselves for our Alice Springs which is going to be 6 hot, very sweaty and fly ridden days, but i hope it will be amazing as well!

Thanks for all of your emails, i will get around to replying when i can! Its great to hear what you are all up to as well!

Hope you have a good weekend!

xxx

Birthday Fun!

2008-11-24T23:47:00.006Z

What a great weekend!! I had a fantastic birthday, in Melbourne, even if the sun did not shine until the evening! Its making up for it today and there is not a cloud in the sky, so was cool to ring home this morning, be my birthday at home still, the next day here and the sun be shining!

Before I update you all on the past week (where has it gone again!!) I completly forgot to share my Neighbours Tour experience with you all! (Thanks Dad for pointing this out!) I think I just got caught up in all the excitment! It was brilliant and a couple of weeks ago now..but got to go to the street, the school and then the studio set of Lassiters...was fantastic, although everything looked so small! How they turn round at the top of that street as they drive away, i will never know, thats a skill in itself!!

Last week just seemed to fly by and so I can finish off my sightseeing this week, I just spent the time when I was not working, getting ready for the next couple of weeks, doing the boring jobs as I dont really want to spend my time in Sydney toilletrie shoppeing etc!! Also apparently a big hat is a necessity in the outback and so I managed to pick a bargain of one for $3 the other day...im really not fussed what it looks like...it will be a life saver and it was cheap...so thats all that matters!

So, the birthday celebrations actually started on Saturday (in true Eley style...obviously its a birthday weekend and not just a day!! :-) ) I booked a pedicure with my birthday money and had visions of floating down to this nice spa i had found in my sunnies and thongs (flip flops!) and all being very chilled! It couldnt have been any more opposite if it tried....hailed storms and 10 degrees...literally!! I thought my poor little toes were going to drop off on the way I had to come back and get my traines, the roads were flooded and I didnt even think I was going to get there! But I did and it was all very chilled out once I was there and then i bought a birthday dress (complete bargain...and the shopping here is to die for!!) and it was the last one in my size...fate...obviously!!!

On Sunday evening we went out for dinner for the first time since we left San Francisco and it was amazing! I cant believe how excited I was to be going out for dinner! Its not like we have eater badly, at all, but it was just wonderful, and I will never take it for granted again! We went to a nice Italian on Southbank in the Casino complex and then went into the casino after, had a few goes on the slot machines, won $7 and had cocktails!! I have never been in a casion like that before, it was like something out of Oceans 11 and how i imagine Vegas to be!

Yesterday (birthday day!) was just great! I got the day off work (for free as it was my birthday!!) and Jen had overtime to use up so they let her have it off as well! It was the first day we had spent together in nearly 3 weeks and was lovely! After a lazy picnic breakfast....

We ventured out to one of the suburbs which we had not made it to yet called Brunswick...def the grungier side of town, but very cool shops, cafes (as always here!) and a couple of cool cd shops to!

Then instead of lunch out we decided to go for fondut....welll it was amazing....are you jealous yet....!!! Plus my hot chocolate was orange flavoured and it was the most amazing thing i have ever tasted, with melted chocolate around the glass...so that everytime you had a sip, you got chocolate round your mouth :-)

I slipped into conversation it was my birthday, to justify this pigging out!! And i got a free chocolate frog, so I decided to go for a white chocolate frog, milk orange hot chocolate and dark chocolate fondut...Louise you would have been proud...and I wish you could have been there!!! Heaven!

So after all this excitment we still had the neighbours night to come, which was full of cheese, but a classic backpacking Brits abroad night! No Dr Karl as he is in the UK doing Panto but replaced with Paul Robinson!!! The funniest guy ever, he really cant sing to save his life, was quite entertaining! But we met Boyd, Janae and the Fitzgerald Brothers....brilliant!! One of the best birthdays ever and I cant believe how much we did and for once it seemed like it went on forever!!

So thats it! This time next week we will just have got off the night bus and will be in Adelaide! I am sooo excited to be moving on now and really looking forward to it, although I will miss my weekly Tuseday market trips!

I have to go now, but will check in at the end of the week, before we pack our bags and carry on on our travels!

Love to all!

E xxxx

A very busy week and The Great Ocean Road!

2008-11-19T01:05:00.002Z

Hello!

What a very busy week, it now makes me wonder even more how I did I ever find the time for work!!!

Last week was spent really just chilling and working in the afternoons! Its not actually that bad at all, its annoying that me and Jen are on different shifts but its great to catch up in the afternoons and we are having lots of giggles updating each other on the things we have done during the day! Jen is doing housekeeping and some rooms at the hostel have a certain reputation and Jen is always so shocked at how people live in the mess that they do! I do the kitchen for part of my time and the sun that says 'Did you bring your mother with you...if not do your own washing up!!!' doesnt seem to have any effect at all, but hey ho!

On Sunday (I got the day off for free, which is always good) we escpaed city life for the day and did a one day tour of the Great Ocean Road! It was fantastic, but very tiering. We left at 7am and didnt get back until 10.15pm!!! It was worth it though, and I think i am just about fully recovered now! The road was built as a tribute to the Australian WW1 soldiers, and it also gave employement to those soldiers who returned and had no work to go to. So when you think about it, it is really a very new addition and really recent history (like a lot of NZ and here).

We just spent the day driving along the road and stopping off at different holiday spots along the way. We did this tour...http://www.bunyiptours.com/ which gives a brief outline of the places that we went!

The 12 Apostles (the picture on that link) were truly amazing and well worth the trip...its all just so incredible to think that they were formed by the power of nature...although there is now actually only 11 as one collapsed into the sea without any warning in 1995 I think. Jen took a helicopter tour over the coast line, it was very good value, but I decided against it as there are going to be sooo many more opportunities to do things like that whilst we are here and I suppose you can't do it all ;-) although we are giving it a good go!!!

On Monday I spent my morning exploring the alleys here which have fantastic botique shops and marvellous cafes in preperation for my birthday next week!! Im getting really excited and we are off out this afternoon for a treat of hot chocolate to see what they are like! I asked for the day off next Monday, just deciding to pay for that night's accomodation and thought i would mention its my birthday! And not only have i got it off, I dont have to pay for it and they have said Jen can have it off to, which is fantastic! So now we can go back to our original plan of Spa, afternoon tea and then off to the Neighbours Triva Night, I have a feeling its going to be a great day!

Anyway I have to dash and grab some lunch before work, have a good week and I will be back again soon!

E xxx

Melbourne, Week 1!

2008-11-11T06:51:00.002Z

Well, all the plans have now changed since i last wrote as we have managed to pick up some work for accomodation in the hostel we are staying in! Its only 3 hours a day and we get to save $30 a night, so it now means that we can party on at Christmas, so all is good!

So now we have a bit more time to aclimitise to city life in Melbourne which is great! Although i spent the morning at the market again, treated myself to cake on the first day of work and then enjoyed the sunshine and my book, has been great! And although the job isnt fantastic, its qutie nice to feel that i have done some work for the day! I probably wont be saying that this time next week, but we only plan to stay for 3 weeks and then head to Adelaide.

So the sun is shining and we are just generally living here now, rather than sight seeing so much! although yesterday afternoon we wondered along the South bank and enjoyed the city views and desginer shops (only window shopping of course!!)

We do have a couple of day trips planned now, as we know where we are going to be. On Sunday we are heading down the Great Ocean Road for the day. You can do a 3 day trip, but there are good deals on the one day at the moment. We have also booked to go out to Philip Island on our last weekend here and then off out on the Neighbours evening on my birthday, how cool!

Anyway, only have 5 mins left, so just a quick hello and to let you know all is a ok!!

Will pop in again sooon!

E xxxx

G'Day!!

2008-11-08T05:03:00.002Z

Well hello from Australia!! How cool is that!!

I arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon and has been busy busy ever since! Weather has been a bit tempremental but thats Melbourne for you apparently!

Have been busy aclimitising to city life, i think i saw more people in my first day here than i did the whole of the time in NZ!! Its a cool city though, i know people who havent liked it, but i think it is more a city to live in rather than sights. Have ventured out to the beach suburb of St. Kilda this afternoon, as in between hostels today...check in this afternoon for a week at one place as its a lot cheaper! Its really cool out here, great clothes shops and cakes everywhere, so will spend next weekend here.

Have been organising things that i want to do over the next couple of weeks if i dont get work, its all a bit up in the air at the moment whilst i job hunt. Its not looking too promising, but you never know! Will probably head to Adelaide if dont get work, because its pretty cheap to get there and generally cheaper, plus a lot of Ayres Rock tours go from Adelaide, so trying to combine lots of things!

Spent this morning at Queen Victoria Market, a Melbourne institution, getting all our fruit and veg for the next couple of days and dinner for tomorrow (mini roast!!) Im off to Ramsay St tomorrow :-) Its SOOOO exciting! Jen doesnt want to do it, im not sure why ;-) but you cant come all this way and not!! Its going to be extra cool im sure, will let you know!

Anyway, just had a flyer for free inet for 30 mins, so just thought i would say a quick hello! Best go now, but have a good weekend!! I cant believe tomorrow I will have been away for 2 months!! Its crazy, but soooo much fun!

Love to all xxxx

Bye Bye New Zealand!!

2008-11-04T04:47:00.002Z

Well, it is now Tuesday evening and we fly to Melbourne tomorrow afternoon!! I cant believe this is New Zealand over and will be sad to leave. Have had an amazing time and seen sooo much! no wonder i am feeling a little tierd today!

So whilst reflecting on my time here it is really hard to decide what has been my favourite thing. It is like deciding the Rock Club end of year top 10 albums (which by the way guys is pencilled out at the moment - there are soo many this year!!). But I have decided that these were my top 5 New Zealand must dos!!

Skydive has to be numero uno!! I absolutly loved it, was not scared and is one of the proudest things i have ever done!! Also, it turned out to be over my favourite place - Wanaka - just a beautiful, easy going, mountained view town.
Franz Josef! Even if my legs did kill for days after! The rate global warming is going, the glacier will keep receeding, so is very cool to say i have done it!
Cape Reinga (the very tip of the north island) and a very spiritual place for the Maori was a beautiful day and seeing the two oceans (tasmin and pacific) clash was very special.
Milford Sound comes in next. This was also a great experience and as you can see from the pics, definitly saw it in all weathers.
And number 5 is difficult, but it has to be the caves at Waitomo. Both the caves were so different and the glow worms were truly spectacular!

So thats it! Christchurch has been fun and we guided ourselve on a city walk yesterday! Not quite up to Cambridge standards, but you can go punting along the river all the same! The small towns and villages are the place to hang here, it seems to be a waste exploring the cities when there are so many natural beauties waiting for you around the corner.

The washing is done, and even had the luxury of hanging it on the line! Wow! This hostel is sooo homely, free warm home made bread for breakfast, nice comfey sofas and a dose of four weddings and a funeral this afternoon! Life is good and we shall see what Australia has to offer!!

Have a good week everybody!! xxx

Milford Sound...in Pictures!!!

2008-11-03T08:19:00.006Z

Unfortunatly this computer is taking ages to upload the photos....that is why they are only small....but this is Milford Sound, see how it started off nice and sunny and then ended up typical Milford!!!

Enjoying Christchurch and summer is really here!!! Yay!!! Happy Monday!! xx

Oamaru

2008-11-02T00:04:00.002Z

Hello again from a very sunny Oamaru!!

Its Sunday lunchtime here and after a very pleasant stroll along the pacific ocean this morning we are just waiting for the bus to take us to Christchurch! I cant believe it, our last bus journey & only 2 more days in NZ :-(

Oamaru has just been a one night wonder, but what a night!! Its a funny little place really, they cool it a city but is probably no bigger than Brentwood high st!! But it is famous for its penguins, yes penguins! Real ones and all, both yellow and blue eyed colonies which make their way into the harbour at night. So last night, instead of paying the $20 to go on the official penguin watch, we put on the woolie hats and did our own David Attenborough bit and were succesfull!!!! We saw all the penguins, probably a good 100 on the pier and then we wondered back through the lanes and saw 3, just toddiling along!! Was very exciting and worth the cold! Have never seen a penguin in the wild before!! Thanks must go to the lady in the most gorgeous jewellery shop ever,who pointed us in the right direction!!

So in all this excitment we treated ourselves to a trip to the local pub and dessert!! Well, it was not planned, but my, the warm chocolate mud cake with cream, ice cream and chocolate snaps satisifed every craving possible and was one of the most amazing things i have EVER tasted!! It did mean that our trip to the bakery this morning was called off, but its the traditional NZ pie for dinner tomorrow if we can find a good bakery in Christchurch!! It is all about the food here, their cafe culture is amazing, I would never have thought!

Anyway best go have some lunch (Cheese on toast if your interested!!) and then catch this bus!

Have a good rest of your weekend and everyone please cross their fingers for Lewis, sounds like he is going to need it!!!

Ellen xxxx

Milford Part 2!!

2008-10-31T04:32:00.003Z

Sorry about that, i didnt want to loose my post from yesterday when my time ran out! So anyway, the cruise around Milford was really spectacular. We did this cruise http://www.redboats.co.nz/home/ there are so many to choose from but we got a healthy discout with our YHA cards (its like being a student again, its great!!) and did the encounter nature option! We didnt see any dolphins (again!!) but saw some seals and penguins and was generally a really good gentle cruise around the sound! We saw loads of waterfall and at one point a rainbow appeared from the bottom of one of the falls, it was beautiful and my pictures came out really well so will post them up when i can. The boat even went under one waterfall which is 15,000 years old and you could voluntarily get wet!! So why not!! The one thing i am always saying to myself is to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way - so why not get soaked!! It was sooo much and fresh!!

So it really felt that we were cut off from all life out there - the tourist info, cafe and pub are all one building!! But now we are in Dunedin and its the opposite end of the scale and i have had to escape to the coast today!! I had seen Dunedin on those trashy afternoon programmes when i had been off work and it looked beautiful, so i was really disappointed when i arrived here yesterday. Im a city girl at heart thats for sure, but i just dont like the NZ cities. There arent that many and they are not city size as we know, but they just seem to overtake the beautiful surrounding landscaped that could be explored. Apart from its history of being a Scottish settlement there really is nothing Scottish about it (apart from the children's school uniforms and the odd tartan shop here and there!) Hope that answers your question cousin Lou!!

So today, whilst Jen decided to take the tour around Cadbury World (I really couldnt betray Belgium Chocolate here!!) I got the bus out to the coast and visited a small port town named Port Chalmers and had a lovely walk along the coast, admiring the view and listening to the Beatles!! Life is good when you see more ducks in a day then people!! But this was how i expected this area to be, so im pleased i made the effort to go find it! It would have been very easy to spend all day in my pjs, as the hostel is sooo homely and had breakfast in the pjs for the first time in nearly 7 weeks!! heaven!! Plus free tea and coffee for Jen, so life really is all good!

We leave here tomorrow lunchtime (they give it to rain all day tomorrow so am pleased have made the most of the sun today) and head to Oamaru. Then its Christchurch for three nights. I have high reservations about Christchurch. Its meant to be the English settlement, like here is the Scottish. But can use my time to plan my neighbours tours (very exicted!!!) and actually how we are going to fit Australia and work into 5 months. I have a really bad feelings, its not going to happen!!

So I think that is about it for now! Really has been a busy week and wish we had longer in the south island, because have truly loved it here, and we havent even seen all of it!! But there is always next time and there is a long list of things to see on there already!!

Happy Halloween and White Rabbits for tomorrow!! I cant believe we have been away for 7 weeks this weekend and that its my birthday in 24 days!!! Woo Hoo!! Role on the summer!!!! :-)

xxxx

Milford Part 1!

2008-10-30T01:46:00.003Z

Hello!!

Well another busy few days, so thought i better write it all down before i forget!

So, its Thursday afternoon and we are now on the east coast of the south island in a town (although the kiwis call it a city!!) called Dunedin. It is meant to be the Edinburgh of NZ, although we havent got very far in exploring yet. We have just checked in and dived into the internet cafe next door, well it has been a few days now!! The hostel is lush! Its really small (only 40 beds) and is like a self contained flat. Newly decorated with all the mod cons, its really nice! not that anywhere we have stayed has been bad - most places are of a very high standard, the YHAs are always good, but its nice to get a change, otherwise you feel that you are staying in the same place with the same kind of people all the time.

We had a good couple of days earlier in the week enjoying Wanaka and Queenstown. It has to be my favourite area of NZ. Its beautiful and with the southern alps all round it really is spectacular whatever the weather!! On Monday, it was a bank holiday and the sun actually shone!! One place said it was 27 degrees!! it was lovely and really looking forward to summer now!! We visited a small gold mining settlement called Arrowtown just north of Queenstown. Quite a lot of river scenes from LOTR were filmed here, so we went for a walk along Arrow River and also explored the Chinese Settlement - as once gold was discovered in the Otago region a lot of Chinese men came over to mine.

We then left Queenstown and made our way to Milford Sound. It has been an amazing couple of days, really in the middle of nowhere - although the Fiordland (the region there) is situated on the south west coast and is mainly just dense rainforest. The nearest village is Te Anu, which is 120km south of Milford. We were in Te Anu last night just breaking up the journey from Milford to here really.

There are no petrol stations, no shops, nothing in this 120 km. We were the adventurous type and stayed over in the only accomodation in the area! It was good, although the most expensive we have paid yet. Most people visit the sound on a day trip from Queenstown, but its a 13hr all round trip and we decided we wanted to have fun and enjoy the experience, and im so pleased we stayed for the night! We didnt really explore the sounding area as it rained pretty much for the whole 24 hours we were there! They got 7 meters (!!!!) of rain a year in this region, which is the second highest in the world! And i think we must have seen a least 1/2 meter!! When the rain is at its peak, one of the many surrouding mountains can have 80 waterfalls cascading down at any one time!! Truly an amazing sight to see.

You can tell how remote Milford is, because not even the maori settled here. They did not like it because of the rain and also the vast quantities of sandflys. Even cook bypassed Milford Sound and he really got everywhere!! It was actually a welshman that was the first european to settle here and he named it after Milford in Wales, so there you go Julie!!

It was an amazing experience to cruise around Milford and im running out of internet time, so instead of rushing and forgetting something will finish this chapter off in the next couple of days. We are in Dunedin until Saturday and then spending Saturday night in Oamaru and then Christchurch and thats NZ done for us. So will finish off then.

Hope it hasnt snowed too much with you guys!! Although we got our fair share of it yesterday too!!!

E xxx

Sun, Snow and Freefall!!!!

2008-10-25T05:39:00.005+01:00

Happy Weekend everybody!!

I know i say it everytime, but this week has gone even quicker and its Saturday nite again and im completly beat! Its been an adrenaline buzzing week and we have seen so much!!

So now we are in the south island and i absolutly love it! We arrived in Queenstown (the backpacker capital) on Monday after a small delay with our flight - we ended up flying via Christchurch and being delayed for a couple of hours but we got a free lunch out of it, so wasnt going to complain!! The sun has shone everyday this week, there has not been a cloud in the sky and im now sporting some very good sunglasses marks and a rudolph nose that Ruth you would be proud of! Even with the factor 30 on - the o zone layer is so thin here - you dont really stand a chance!

Anyway, we decided to make the most of the fine weather and on Tuseday finally plucked up the courage again, ceased the moment and did our skydive over Lake Wanaka and it was AWESOME!! The guys said it was the best day they have had all year and there was not a cloud in the sky. We got some amazing views over the southern alps - could see all the way up to Mount Cook and it was just the best feeling in the world! I cant believe how much i enjoyed it and as soon as i was down i was like - can i go again!! Im really pleased with the photos (i left the cd in the room so will have to upload some more next time) but the DVD is quality and i will be having a showing once home! Bring your popcorn!

So we celebrated that nite with a rotasirey chicken!! i know, we really know how to have a good time! Wednesday we then spent the day in Queenstown, after 2 nights of being there but not seeing the town it was good to actually see it and wonder around! I really like it there, it has a good feel, not too small like some of the other places but hasnt got that city feeling either. We climbed to the top of the gondola (it meant saving $25 and we like a good tramp!) and we were greeted with spectacular views over the town. It took us an hour to climb up, but as you can see it was well worth it!

So on Thursday morning we left Queenstown nice and early and made the 8hr bus ride to Franz Josef. This is not like your average trip around the M25 it has to be one of the most spectacular bus rides ever up the south west coast. We were in Narnia and Lord of The Rings land all day, and i caught a bit of LOTR last nite in the TV lounge and all i can see now in New Zealand. I love travelling in NZ - there are no cars, so there are no traffic jams, there is spectacular scenery and you dont get motor way services (because there are no motorways) instead you get amazing road side cafes with the best muffins, hot chocolates and apple pies etc. I have taken not to entering these when we stop now, as the pull is too strong!! We have started using the national express equivalent of transport now, and its amazing!! We pretty much got 8 hours of commentary all the way about everything and anything! It was not too loud, so that some quality indulget i-pod time could also be had! And they even dropped us at our hostel, brilliant!

So yesterday we did the 1/2 day glacier hike up Franz Josef and it truly was sweet as, and apart from the skydive has to be my favourite thing so far! But oh my god, are my legs killing today! We have done a lot of walking since we have been here, but this was 5 hours of serious hard work, on crampons pulling yourself through ice crevises and up the other side - but it was super awesome. I learnt so much about glaciers too, which i wont bore you with, but they are always moving and you could actually see the movement - NZ is crazy for natural things like this!

So now we are back in Wanaka for the night, just above Queenstown. We are then back there for 2 nights and then we are on our final week here!! We are heading south to Milford Sound - then accross the east coast stopping off in Dunedin and Oamaru before we arrive in Christchurch next weekend!

Thats about it really, im sooo tierd tonight but as you can see all the walking has been worth it! Im looking forward to a lazy sunday in Wanaka and we have found the most amazing cafe for tea and scone so thats my sunday morning treat for breakfast!

will update again before we leave NZ - its going to be another quite remote week for internet - when they mean small settlements they really do mean about 3 buildings to the village!! But its brilliant and im having an amazing time!!

Love to everyone xxxxx

Kia Ora (Hello/Welcome in Maori) !

2008-10-18T01:11:00.004+01:00

Hello Everybody!!

Well what a busy week and a bit! We are now in Wellington having made our way down through the north island touching on nearly everything there is to see!! It really has been a busy few days.

We left Auckland and journied to the east coast to a small village (most places in NZ are exceptionally small and when they say a city they actually mean town!!) called Hahei. This village offers stunning views of and is home to many of the shots in Prince Caspian and numerous other films. It is also home to Cathederal Cove a very well known NZ landmark (a rock with a hole in it really on the beach) and we did the two hour walk to the cove and back. It was glorious and almost Fiji like with all the little islands dotted around. This was our first day on the bus and we had a group BBQ that nite and stayed in a holiday park. It was cold and because we are normally in bed these days by 10pm we didnt realise just how cold it can get here at nite!!

The next day we got back on the bus and went to the west coast, still fairly north and visited another small village named Raglan. This is THE place in NZ to surf!! It was really cool to watch, but no, this is one thing i did not attempt!! Apparently the longest wave ever ridden was done here (10mins!!!) We stayed in a hillside lodge just out of the town, so unfortuantly did not get to see too much, but i think the main attraction really is the surfing.

It really has been all go, because the next day we visited the Waitomo caves. My Maori is nearly as good as my Fijian now and Waitomo means 'water hole'. Here, we did this tour http://www.waitomospellbound.co.nz/aboutSpellbound.htm it was really amzing and the glow-worms were AMAZING!! Topped with tea and biscuits in between caves it could not have been better. Most people went for the black water rafting option through the caves but the swimming with eels put me off that and apparently they saw hardly any glow-worms so i think we made the rite choice. In the afternoon we then made our way back accross to the east coast for our Maori cultural night. We stayed in a Maori welcoming house and ate the traditional meal of hangi (steamed meats, fish and veg - normally potato and pumpkin) and learned the traditional maori dances - the girls learnt the poi and the guys the Hakka!! It was loads of fun and good to interact in another culture again. We should have some pretty cool dance moves to impressive you with by the time we are home!!

The next day we were a bit bussed out and decided to get off and have a break in the 'city' of Rotorua. This is the most active geothermal area pretty much in the world. There is sulphur rising from earth everywhere. Everynow and then you get a whiff of rotten eggs but it is meant to be good for colds etc. We had two nights here and i wowed Jen with my spaghetti bolognaise and shepards pie and it was good to laze around for a bit. Jen hit the Poloynesian Spa whilst i went out to another Maori village and learned the hockey kockey in Maori. It is home to the biggest geyser in NZ and they showed us how the cooked using the steam in the earth for microwaves and the natural hot pools to blanche their veg!! This was the sunniest we had so far and so it was typical the next day when we got on the bus again (same company, diff people) it rained all the way to Taupo and our skydive was cancelled. By this time we have met a really good group of people and we had all planned to jump together, so we were pretty gutted we could not go out and celebrate. They have since 'jumped' as they stayed in Taupo for an extra night but we could not wait for the next bus to Wellingotn. From what we saw of Lake Taupo it is pretty cool - it is the largest lake in the world to be formed by a volcano and you can fit Singapore into it!!!!!

On Wednesday we headed to the National Park. A lot of the Lord of the Rings was filmed around here and we attempted a one day hike around Mount Dome actually named Mount Ruapehu. Unfortunatly, after 4 hours we had to turn back because the visibility was so bad, but we still got some really cool snow pictures, yes snow and was still a rewarding tramp (thats what they cool hikeing here!!). The lodge that nite was absolutly amazing!! It was like being in a day Spa and all for about 10 pounds - it even had a log fire - heavenly!!

After all that, we are now in Wellington until Monday. Thankfully, it is a lot better than Auckland. Still on the smallish side but walked up another volcanoe this morning to be greeted with great harbour views. We do a LOT of walking, especially up volcanoes but like i say to Jen everytime - just think of the pictures!! I am now spending the afternoon catching up on jobs and its actually a sunny day so will be strolling along the harbour later whilst Jen rides the cable car! We went to the cinema last night and saw Burn after Reading - the Pitt/Clooney film (NZ seem to be really behind here so you have prob had it out already). It was the first time since i have left that i have watched TV of any form - it is absolutly crazy but really enjoyed it!! We met a girl on our second bus who had stayed in the same place as us in Fiji!! Its totally crazy like that and even more crazier that she is now in our room at the YHA here so off out for drinks tonight with Laura.

We also visited the National Museum here yesterday http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Tepapa/English/ It was really good fun and will be going back to finish it off over the next couple of days. Wellington is great because all the attractions are free!! woo hoo!!

We leave here on Monday and fly to Queenstown in the South island. Its going to be a busy first week - after a few days in Queenstown we are heading up to Franz Josef Glacier to do a walk and then coming back down to Milford Sound. I am sure if you googled it you could get some idea - but will post pics as and when I can.

Sorry it is such a long post but i never have time just to sit down and update you all and its always a bit of a rush.

Hope all is well with you and will be in touch again from the snowy south soon!!

Ellen xxxxx

More photos for you!!

2008-10-15T05:52:00.005+01:00

Here are some more NZ photos. Has been a busy couple of weeks but head to Wellington tomorrow for a few days so plan to update you all then!! This is us caving on tuseday. We did a 'wet' cave and a slightly more friendlier although still really cool 'dry' cave above.

This is me sandboarding in the Bay of Islands. Was so much fun and really fast, am turning into an adrealine junkie!!

This one is me in sunny auckland!! The shopping and sunshine was all about this place had going for it!!

Will update more soon over the next couple of days.

Photo Time

2008-10-08T03:12:00.002+01:00

Here are some photos from the past few days....

This is our new friend we found today!! And this is me, obviously, in the Bay of Islands!!

New Zealand Part 1!

2008-10-08T02:42:00.002+01:00

hello everybody!!

I cant believe we have been in New Zealand a week tomorrow and away for nearly a month! Time is going quickly now and will speed up even more im sure!

After a few days in Auckland, which i have decided is nothing that special we have been up in the Bay of Islands for the past few days. 4 hours north of Auckland and a popular tourist destination for the kiwis. It provides stunning scenery and has good village vibes.

We have been staying in a village called Paihia and yes it does have internet, woo hoo!! We went on a dolphin cruise on our first afternoon (im afraid i cant tell you what day it is or even the date now!!) but unfortunatly did not see any dolphins - even though we found out after there was a 90% chance of seeing them!! The boat ride also included a visit to the 'hole in the rocl' which is literally just that!! The boat ride has to be one of the scariest ever, it was sooo rough - there literally was holes in the ocean when the boat just smashed! Since being away i really have felt the force of mother nature - our resort pretty much got struck by lightening in Fiji - it was the loudest bang and crack i have ever heard and was also scary!! Thats twice now, i have felt very helpless against the powers of mother nature.

We had a chill out day yesterday and it rained all day, but the sun has shone today and we have walked up to the next willage of Waitangi where the treaty was signed between the english and maori chiefs. It has been very interesting and rite up my street, although it is still hard to believe it was only in 1834.

On Monday we went up to Cape Reigna which is the furthest north you can go in NZ. It was beautiful and where the Tasmin Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. It was a really long day, we left at 6am and did not get back until 8.30pm. our bus broke down in the middle of the forest which was quite exciting!! We drove up 90 mile beach and went sand boarding, which was really good fun and the most extreme thing i have done so far!! The sand dunes were pretty massive. Have learnt loads about the maori culture over the past couple of days, everybody still speaks it up here and is very interesting to learn that it still has such a presence.

So we leave here this afternoon, about 4.30 to get back to Auckland hopefully by 8. We then leave first thing in the morning to pick up our bus tour. We have 12 days to get to Wellington and have decided to do the 'Peter pass' http://www.straytravel.com/north-island-travel.php see this link four route etc. we have decided to use this company 'Stray' to get around the northern island because hopefully we will see more off the beaten track and then when we go to the south island we are just going to use the national express buses to get around and try and save money that way!!

We have started cooking for ourselves now, so far the kitchens in the hostels have been brilliant so we are trying to remember all those classic uni recipes!!

Sorry if this is all a bit hit and miss. Trying to get everything done in an hour is proving to be quite difficult!!

Will try and upload some photos at some stage, have got them on disc but cant find a computer with a disc drive yet!!

Will post again soon. Miss you all

E xxxx

BULA!!!

2008-10-03T05:25:00.002+01:00

Bula everybody (hello in Fijian!!)

Wow what an amazing two weeks. We are now safely in Auckland and slowly getting used to 'real' life again. Two weeks without internet, phones or any form of communication really was great, no watch, no shoes, it really was paradise.

The flight from San Fran to Fiji was the longest we will have to do, but air new zealand were amazing!! I even ate all of the food, a constant supply of new zealand wine for dinner and bubbly for breakfast, why not hey!!

Nadi, on the main island of Fiji really is a dump! Everyone kept telling me there really is nothing there and they are sooo right! you feel like you are in a completly different country - mainly india - after two weeks on the Waya island that we visited.

We stayed at Octopus resort which was amazing! The sun shone for the majority of the time and im now sporting a nice tan! When it did rain, it was tropical, cleared the air and then was sunnier than ever!

The resort has close links with the local villahe - Nalawayki - the majority of staff at the resort live in the village. We ended up going to the village four times - church two sundays in a row!! once to visit the kindergarten and another time for a general tour, kava ceremony and a meke show from the villagers, and oh cant forget the craft market!

Church was amazing. Maybe my highlight, the signing from the tiny choir and the passion that they sing and preach with brought me to tears. they have nothing at this village, live in tin houses but yet want for nothing and you can feel the love and happiness in the air. On the second sunday we went there was a christening. It was such a special and personal moment for the family yet we were privileged enough to be involved.

The kindergarten was really great, the kids sang us nursey rhymes in enlgish! I really need to learn another language if these kids can speak two and yet have nothing - it was brilliant. the older children of the village board on another island - which is funded by the resort - the people are eternally grateful.

When we went over for the Meke show it was lots of singing, dancing and laughing. But this time we recognised a lot of the villagers from working at the resort and vice versa so they got us up doing the conga and 'shaking it' around the village!! It was great!

The rest of the time we spent chilling by the pool, reading and walking the amazing beach! The food was great too, 3 full meals a day we really are stuffed and its nice to feel a little hungry now! Everyone should visit Fiji in their life!

Now we are in Auckland, its Friday early evening and we arrived yesterday. We leave here on Sunday to do a tour to the tip of NZ where the two oceans meet and to go to the Bay of Islands which is North east of here. We are then coming back here for the nite to decide which company to use to get us down to Wellington. We will have 12 days left before we then fly to Queenstown so will be plenty of time! Its def going to be alot more active than Fiji time was!

Auckland is good - its safe, has everything we need and the hostel have been fab in helping us plan our trip but its not san fran!! everything is very spread out here so we are planning to venture a bit further afield tomorrow. We have been practical today, been and bought food so we can cook the next few nites, bought a really cool quicksliver hoody for 18 pounds and then tonite we are going to treat ourselves and yes you guessed it.....do our washing!!!!

I have managed to upload my pictures so far (all 281) onto disc but for some reason this computer does not like it! so will try again when im next online!

I think thats pretty much it for now...thanks for all your updates its great to hear what you are all up to...and i will reply eventually its just 30mins really does fly when your on here and no time for even face book faffing!!

Miss you all but really am having the exeperience of my life.

Lots of love xxxxxxxxx

Hey from San Fran!

2008-09-16T02:38:00.002+01:00

Hello from sunny but coooll San Fran!

I love this city, the vibe is great and the shops are AMAZING although i dont even dare enter, there is even a Forever 21, Ruth!!!

Sunday was the longest day ever, and the longest nite 2! Jet lag was not 2 bad and considering this time yesterday i was in bed, i would say we are pretty much now on west coast time! The hostel is fine, everyone is realy friendly and its pretty luxurious compared to our first nite in Delhi! Its like living in halls again, i can relive my youth, fantastic!!!

Done absoulty loads today and probably walked about 10 miles (thank god for Ecco shoes!!). Walked the Golden Gate bridge (and yes i did wear my tshirt R & C) and went all around the bay area - Pier 39 where all the sea lions are was like being in Southend in San Fran, candy floss and all, it was brilliant!!

Also explored china town (the biggest in the world outside china) and little italy where i had the most amazing cuppa in a silk tea bag!! plan to continue a wondering over the next couple of days before we head to Fiji on Wednesday evening.

Hope all is ok with you guys and that you enjoyed Metallica boys.

Will hopefully update you again when arrive in Fiji! Wish you were all here with me xxx

Travelling is....

2008-09-10T23:31:00.002+01:00

Words of wisdom from my current book:-

'Travelling is about the best thing there is, at all. I can't think of anything more worthwhile, more enlightening or more full of promise. There is so much to discover, so many encounters to be had, so many sunsets to see, so many ways of cooking eggs'.

Alex James - Blur

Welcome!

2008-08-25T13:57:00.003+01:00

Hiya!

Welcome to my travel blog! As you know, I'm off travelling around the world for eight months! I thought this would be the best way to keep everyone updated at the same time and remind myself of what I will have done (apart from laying on various beaches for eight months!!)

D-Day is another three weeks yet (14 September 2008) but I am getting organised now...so stay tuned for the latest news!

E x