http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ASBO-Holidays/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from ASBO Holidays en-us Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:49:06 +0000 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:49:06 +0000 Well since the last blog I havenrsquot done any traveling what so ever. Wellif you call going backwards and forwards to the hospital traveling then Isuppose Irsquove been a busy boyWork has been crazy at times and slow at other times but for the majorityof the 2 months Irsquove been here its been 11 hour days and still not enoughtime to get everything done. Getting up at 6.45am is no long http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/Chennai/blog-230106.html Irsquom writing this blog as I sit in a training session about Quality Management and the one thing lacking is a quality trainer. People around me are chatting on their mobiles joking around flirting and generally anything that means they arenrsquot listening to this boring woman. Others have just stood up and walked out and Irsquom doing this to stay awake cos all she is doing is reading http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-222849.html Every morning I'm up at 7 to make the bus for 7.30. it takes 5 or 10 minutes to get to the bus stop depending on which road is flooded. The guesthouse is in a nice quiet leafy strret in Adyar where the car horns only go every 510 seconds. I've a rock solid bed which makes it even easier to get my ass out of bed.As i stroll to the bus I watch the women pumping their water for the day while they wa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/Chennai/blog-216357.html So the long awaited blog has returned. In the past 6 months the urge to travel once more has taken over as the feet havenrsquot just become itchy but have turned into a full blown rash that can only be satisfied by getting the back pack filled again and sweat my tits off in one of the hottest places on Earth. So if your sitting comfortably I'll begin......Irsquod been told that there are 3 sea http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/Chennai/blog-215703.html We meet up at 6am to go get tickets for the bus at 9.30 for Ban Don Chai a tiny village that acts as the jumping off point for the Gibbons experience. While me and Jim are waiting for the ticket booth to open we're joined by Graham and Rob who are also on the same Gibbons. They manage to squeeze to the front while me and Jim are squeezed back by a determined 5 foot old lady and a monk. 7 tickets http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Bokeo-Nature-Reserve/blog-124860.html Helen and I only stay in Luang Prabang for the night and we manage to get about 4 different truths of bus times and stations for travelling on to Luang Nam Tha. Seems like I'm back in Thailand already In the end we make our own judgement and decide for the Northern bus terminal as we're going north funnily enough. The first leg is pretty uneventful minus the really uncomfortable kiddie seat He http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/North/Luang-Namtha/blog-124859.html I arrive up in Vang Vieng and all is seeming very similar from 6 months ago when I was here. That is until I step on to main street and the 1st thing that hits me is there are no open sewers There seems to be more and more cafes and less places playing Friends Woo Hoo Although there are still some dumb asses wasting their days by watching the crap. I get settled back into the Viengsavanh Gue http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Vang-Vieng/blog-124662.html I pick up my Honda Baja 250 and get set to head to Tha Kaek from Vientianne for the first leg. I remember the bus took 6 hours but didn't realise it was just short of 400km. 2km after getting the bike the gears are buggared it will change up but not down. I manage to crawl back to the shop where the guy gets the angle grinder out and 10 minutes later I'm good to go. I take it for a test spin aro http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/South/Tha-Khaek/blog-120646.html Well what can I say about my second time in Vientianne It hasn't changed much except there are about 3000 more tourists than last July. The tuk tuk drivers are still offering you something which usually means weed women or anything stronger On the bus from Bangkok I meet Gav and Nick from Shetlands and Sydney. We decide to keep the costs down and share a room in Saysouly Guesthouse this ti http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Vientiane/blog-120632.html I arrive in Bangkok and the first thing I do is book my ticket out of the place the next morning. I forgot what transport was like in Thailand. The buses rarely leave on time and true to form it took us an hour and a half to get on the road. Apparantly the journey only takes 6 hours but thats a load of bollox. Mainly due to the bus driver only doing about 30kmh for the majority of the trip which http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Ko-Chang/blog-118378.html I was so happy to be getting out of Penang. 6 days was far too long. On the bus to the boat is a S.African girl Sjanie ScottishOz guy Iain an Irish guy and his English Girlfriend James and Jade. On the boat there's no seats until they open the VIP lounge with a movie showing. At 8.30am its a bit hard taking the movie seriously when the body count easily reaches over 500 and the hero come http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Kedah-and-Perlis/Pulau-Langkawi/blog-116596.html OK this blog is going to be not up to usual standards....No pictures for this one cos I've had my camera stolen Bastards What a way to welcome in the New Year.I arrived in Penang at some random bus station outside of Georgetown and trying to get info on local buses was a pain in the arse so no choice but a taxi to 75 Travellers lodge. I met up with a Belgian couple Geert and Mieke they asked http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Penang/blog-113519.html I arrive in Tanah Rata the base for operations in the Cameron Highlands. Its a cool 15 degrees actually freezing 15 degress. You may all scorn at that statement but when your in the tropics you don't expect to have to put warm weather clothes on. I'm met by Paul from Fathers guest house whose promptly says Welcome to Sunny Cameron Highlands where every day it rains Someone's happy to be her http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Pahang/Tanah-Rata/blog-113200.html Helen and I say cheery bye to Yankee Roger when we're left at the village near the jungle camp. There just so happens to be a local bus sitting waiting to take us to Lahad Datu. Its brand new and we think this can't be private transport just for us Low and behold 10 minutes down the road families start to fill every space inside with us now being squashed into 1 12 seats. The 70km journey isn't http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sabah/Sipadan/blog-111712.html As I fly in over Sandakan in Sabah N.Borneo I'm sceptical there is an airport due to the vast amount of Palm Trees around us. When we land I'm still sceptical its an airport Although Borneo is still part of Malaysia it has its own immigration desk so I was thinking another stamp on the passport Instead they scribble something on your departure card. There's 2 dutch guys just about to leave http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sabah/Sandakan/blog-110589.html Ahhhhh its a breath of fresh air getting out of Singapore having spent a whole 14 hours there. I've a week to make it to KL so decide to stop in a historical town on route Melaka. I was told that you could see the town in one day and move on the next but have tried to take things at a snails pace.... So I saw the town in 3 hours didn't really want to visit the Musuem of Beauty just need to lo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Melaka/Melaka-City/blog-108527.html Ok so Bali has been visited 4 times now and has been the base for travel around Indonesia. The first part was covered in Gili Chillin. Second visit to Bali came after the Komodo and Kelimutu trip before making my way to oz. When changing the flights in Oz I had the choice to go to Singapore or come here no contest really Plus it would give me the chance to go see Mt Bromo in Java.A sweedish dud http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Java/Bromo-Tengger-Semeru/blog-107637.html I get back to Fremantle ready to start a job selling sand not to the Arabs but to aussies pictures something that I actually have experience in believe it or not I check out the job the day before and find out I'd be posted about an hour and a half away from where I'm staying. My tax codes and stuff have been mucked up so I'd be making a hassive 7 an hour I don't get out of bed for less th http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/blog-105285.html We land at Ularu around midday and it can't be too short of 35 degrees. I now understand why Australia is the home of the cork hat bloody flies get everywhere in your ears up your nose and even try for your eyeballs. Bastards We transfer to the resort which is a really strange setup. The place is expensive as hell and nothing to do excpet walking and avoid the flies. We organise for the next http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Uluru/blog-105282.html The blog has been put to one side for a while now mainly due to the punishment my liver has been receiving So its time to get back on track. There hasn't been much sightseeing done in Fremantle mostly because of sore heads.Freo is a class wee seaside town about 20 km south of Perth where everyone is really friendly and laid back. I get stuck in the Sundancers hostel for a week waiting for Chri http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Fremantle/blog-105274.html