The journey from Belize to Guatemala was an easy and interesting one. We caught the water ferry from Caye Caulker to Belize City and jumped on a bus bound for Flores in Guatemala. The bus was 'air conditioned' ie all windows open which actually made it surprisingly cool and there weren´t many people on it so we could spread out. Good news as it was really uncomfortable! We crossed the border with no issues - this was my first land border crossing, the previous one being done via ferry. We hopped off the bus at the Belizean border, walked through and got our passports stamped and paid our exit fee, then walked across the border into Guatemala and back on the bus. Almost immediately some differences were notable. The quality of the roads was shocking, and ... read more

Tulum is gorgeous. An hour south of the craziness and American- ness of Cancun and Playa del Carmen, and you have a stunning strip of white, fine sand and clear waters, and rustic, noffensive cabana accommodation lining its shores. Before I went out to the beach I decided to check into a hostel for the first night of being in Tulum. I had wanted to book a cabana if Steve had come with me, but thought it a bit excessive booking one for myself. I booked a dorm bed in a 4 bed dorm and have decided I am too old for this now! It wasn't awful, but I just like my own space and to not have to deal with anyone else! I shared with only one other girl, a german girl called Stefanie, and ... read more

We took an overnight bus from Merida to Palenque. Not a "first class" bus with fully reclinable seats, but comfy nonetheless as it was fairly empty and easy to stretch out. Palenque isnt too far from Merida but the journey was slowed due to very bad roads, and these crazy speed bumps everywhere which slows vehicles down considerably. On arrival in Palenque we tried to book a hotel but to no avail. I had emailed them and called them and I should have known from this the service wouldnt be great! However Maya Bell got a great write up in Lonely Planet, so we took a taxi there and checked into a room. Thankfully once again it was empty so checking in at 11am was fine. The hotel is set in the jungle and not far ... read more

Last weekend I went to visit Anni for the weekend in Newbury. It was lovely to get out of London for the weekend and take in some of the countryside. The colours of the autumn trees and landscape are beautiful at the moment and its one of the things I love about England - the clearly defined seasons, which we don't really experience in Sydney. It's not too cold yet either which is nice - on average about 18 during the day. I caught the train up on Friday night and we went out with a bunch of Vodafone people for drinks and dinner. Vodafone is headquartered in Newbury and I know quite a few Aussies who have gone to work there, as well as people from HQ who I have worked on projects with previously ... read more

Mallorca was the last stop on my big tour of Europe. I flew from Lisbon to meet up with Mum and Eric (who had) flown in from Madrid) and James (who had flown from London). They picked me up from the airport in our hire car and we had a family reunion and loads to catch up on from Mum & Eric's tour. We stayed in Port d'Andratx which is about 40 mins out of Palma, in the south western corner of the island. I was really impressed - I had feared that after seeing Costa Brava that Mallorca would be really touristy and full of Brits on package holiday but it either isnt like that, or we chose a good area to stay!! I think being a port a lot of people choose not to ... read more