On arriving at the hostel in St Lucia I was shown around and dumped my bags in my room. I was then taken on a free tour of the town and local area by the guide Darren. We drove down to the estuary where we came across a herd of hippos sat on a bank along with approximately 10 crocodiles. After a brief stop at the beach we then drove down through the town and he pointed out the al important supermarket, butchers, restaurants and bars. After dinner that night Darren and the hostel manager Philip took us on a night [View Full Entry]

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Travelling around South Africa was always going to be an issue for me as I was reluctant to hire a car in Jo'berg and drive alone and the public transport system doesn't really exist over here unless you want to jump into 101 minivans. I therefore resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to get the backpackers “Baz Bus”. The Baz Bus has a set route and picks you up and drops you off at designated hostels. It isn't my first choice of getting around however it does the routes and places I want to visit and [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday morning was another early start as we had to be packed and ready to leave at 5am so that we could be at the park gates for opening at 5.30am. We got into the park via the Orpen gate and proceeded to the campsite so that we could meet up with the rest of the group who had started their tour a day earlier. Having dropped our bags into the site we jumped into the safari jeep and set off for the day. The day consisted of a continuous drive only stopping for breakfast lunch and dinner. Also when we [View Full Entry]

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So it was a ridiculously early start on Tuesday morning as I set off for the Kruger National Park. I was the first to be collected and the driver of the minibus told me that there were 6 people on the tour. By 11am we had collected everyone and we were on our way to Graskop for our lunch before heading down to God's Window, Blyde Canyon and the three Rondavels. Over lunch everyone introduced themselves. There was Martin from Sweden who was on a three week holiday, two girls from Sweden (whose names I never really caught) who were travelling [View Full Entry]

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So I have now arrived in my fifth and final continent after nearly 11 months of travelling. My flight from Hong Kong, as all my long haul flights have been, was uneventful however my impression of Cathay Pacific did go up and so British Airways still ranks as my least favourite airline of the year with LAN as my favourite. I landed in Jo'berg and found myself stood in the immigration queue looking around puzzled. Why!? Becuase I have found that most times when you cross over a border you have to fill an immigration form in with the standard basic [View Full Entry]

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On arriving in Hong Kong jumped onto the airport shuttle and made my way to Kowloon and my hotel. Once I had checked into the hotel I took the time to once again rest my ankle whilst reading my birthday present from Tim and Jane - a small Lonely Planet guide on Hong Kong. I had made arrangements to meet up with Rosalind and Joseph who I had met back in Singamata, Borneo. We had had various e:mail conversations about meeting up and a few days before I arrived I received a full and detailed itinerary of what they were proposing [View Full Entry]

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So having spent longer in Malaysia than I anticipated I have run out of time to tour Thailand and therefore I flew to Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur. On arriving in Bangkok I jumped into a licensed taxi unfortunately I got ripped off on the fare. He put it on the meter however I think he had a “dodgy” meter on account that it cost me triple what the fare should have done! Unfortunately due to the time I arrived in Bangkok it was dark and I never like to venture on public transport in the dark in a city I don't [View Full Entry]

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So am I mad for going off and joining three strangers on a boat?? No madder than they were for inviting a stranger on to their boat...... So Friday morning rolled around and I rocked up at the Breakfast Bar and as soon as I sat down the guy behind the counter just nodded at me and I nodded back. I had been here the previous two days and after day one he knew my order so within five minutes I had a coffee and a bowl of fruit (no banana), museli and yogurt in front of me. Just as I [View Full Entry]

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So having got myself a ridiculously cheap flight with Malaysia Airlines (£12) I flew to Langkawi with the intention of staying a few days before heading into Thailand. Tuesday afternoon I landed and made my way to a hostel that had been recommended to me. It was a strange feeling to be back on my own again and in basic accommodation. I ended up with a single room with ensuite so it was a gentle re-introduction for me. That afternoon I wandered around the town of Pantai Cenang. Wednesday morning I got up and went off for breakfast. I decided that [View Full Entry]

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Mum, Dad and I got dropped off at our hotel in Batu Ferringhi, Penang. Having unpacked (well Mum and Dad did I made a token gesture at unpacking) we went and had some lunch before briefly exploring the local area. After awhile we decided to return to the hostel whereby I went to investigate the swimming pool... Thursday morning and I had already decided that I was going to do nothing for the day. It was time for me to do some washing and so after collecting my washing and what Mum and Dad decided they wanted doing we headed across [View Full Entry]

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