http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Bellcore/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Bellcore en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:30:43 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:30:43 UTC This week has been a lucky one for me. It started off when I went to pick up my rental car. I was happy with the budget option which the website said would be a Ford Focus Americans don't do small cars but when I went along to pick it up they didn't have any available all they had was a Ford Mustang Nice. I won't slag off the Focus as most of my family reading this own them but it was cer http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/Florida/Orlando/blog-244582.html Okay so despite Brisbane being a really great city it was getting a little lonely. You meet some cool people but it's not like having your friends around you. The main problem was that hostels really aren't for me. They're all decent as far as hostels go but they're basically what I've been working for the last few years to get away from no privacy nowhere to put any belongings. You literal http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/Florida/Sarasota/blog-241927.html The additional photos have now been added.I've also added a video to the Further Plans blog. Worth watching for a laugh.I landed in Brisbane about 5 days ago and it was instantly more relaxed. For starters everybody spoke English the customs guy was even a Machine Head fan the sun was shining there was nobody hassling you for taxis and I presumed you didn't have to crap into a hole like i http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/blog-238347.html Okay I'll keep this one short as I'm getting a little tired.As mentioned in my previous blog I have changed my travel plans so I am now going directly to Australia from Beijing. Basically I think I have bitten off more than I chew by coming to Russia and Asia first. The language thing is a becoming a big problem even eating is becoming an issue and things like sorting out the phone are a none http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Beijing/blog-236429.html As I said in my earlier blog I had gone for a wander around the Forbidden City and was about to pop across the road to Tinamen Square when some Chinese girls approached me as I was taking a picture of Mao. There was a group of 5 of them all of whom were dressed normally i.e. they weren't prostitutes and could all speak almost fluent English. They just looked like a group of students on a trip http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Beijing/Tian--anmen/blog-236418.html I arrived in Beijing yesterday feeling like a giant and immediately people started trying to scam ie the taxi drivers known as the taxi mafia. I got on the bus and was impressed all the stops were announced over the tannoy in Chinese and English.Got to the hostel which was very Chinese looking and is situated right next to the Forbidden City. I took a stroll through the Forbidden City and g http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Beijing/Great-Wall-of-China/blog-236408.html I've been in Moscow for 3 days now and I've only seen 2 English people unfortunately they looked like tossers so I didn't speak to them. There are very few people who speak in English and nearly every sign is in Russian Cyrillic so it's really hard to know what anything is.The hostel I am in is nice but empty other than the four girls who seem to run the place. In my room there's one layabou http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/Northwest/Moscow/blog-235225.html Just before I left my friend Catherine told me that I'll have days where I'm wondering what the hell I'm doing and they can turn out to be the best days of the trip which is what happened on Thursday.I was wandering around looking for somewhere to eat and came across a British pub. As it is difficult to find restaurants or bars in Moscow because of the different alphabet they use and because I http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/Northwest/Moscow/blog-235216.html I'm now in Moscow safe and sound. I enjoyed the train journey and would certainly recommend it. Talk about it being a small world. The first time I spoke to travellers was in Cologne station. They were waiting for the same train as me as they are doing a similar route. The Irish guy asked me where I was from so I told him Carlisle expecting him to have never heard of it but it turned out th http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Belarus/blog-234629.html The big day had finally arrived all the work was done. I was jobless homeless and carless. All that remained was to sit on a train for the next 4 days. http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-233824.html