Seven Days in Ecuador - Part One Sun 11/05 - Thur 15/05/08 I leave New Zealand after five weeks of frustration, financial ruin and wasted opportunity. I look at my flight schedule. Shit. I know I'm in for an ordeal. My journey to Cuba to attend the wedding of one of my oldest friends will be long and hard. First, I have to get to Ecuador, where I'm due to stay for a week. A long time ago, when I began planning my travels, the idea behind this short detour was to see Galapagos, but this is now impossible. Tours are [View Full Entry]

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On the Road - Final Fling in New Zealand Tues 29/04 - Sat 10/05/08 Free at last - thank God almighty I’m free at last. I wave goodbye to Te Puke after nine horrific days. I had such high hopes as well. I wouldn’t have cared about the conditions, I’d even have found some way to put a positive spin on the wanking incident, so long as I’d managed to get work as promised. Seven days work would have brought at least $400 dollars in, money I sorely need at this point, when the price is so not right in big [View Full Entry]

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Despair and Disgust in Sky City - Or How I Came to Loath New Zealand 03/04 - 13/04/08 My taxi pulls up outside the departure lounge at KL international airport. I explain to the driver that I need to dash inside to use the ATM, as I haven’t enough cash to pay him. As I head for the cash machines, I glance at the departure board. The time is 8 ‘O Clock. My flight has been moved forward by half an hour to 8.45pm. Motherfuckers. I reach the ATM and insert my card. A slow wave of horror passes over me [View Full Entry]

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Fear and Loathing from the Top Bunk - The Awful Truth About Te Puke 13/04 - 25/04/08 4.30am. I lie awake in the top bunk in my six bed dorm, listening to the sounds of heavy snoring. The door slowly creaks open, and in walks Trevor, back from the night shift in the packing house. The air hangs low, buckled, thick with the sweaty smells of unwashed men. Trevor climbs into the bottom bunk below me. A few seconds later, and the whole world comes crashing down and my blood runs cold. The bed moves, rocking to a sick, twisted and [View Full Entry]

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Tears, Treks and Tattoo’s Moonshine sings me to sleep, and sunshine calls me to wake. I get up on our final full day in the jungle. We´re off trekking for the last time, and our numbers are seriously depleted. Some people have lost control of their bowels, and jungle fever is rife. I´m still holding out for a hero, so doubt there´ll be any problems ahead, and even if the unexpected occurs, I´ll just find me a bush, like always. Today, we are virtually cut in half - Amy, Toby, Tom, Anita and Charlotte all have some kind of ailment that [View Full Entry]

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Rice Wine - Blowing Through my Mind Thurs 27/03 - 29/03/08 *Authors note - I´d like to extend thanks to all my jungle buddies, without whose contributions this blog would not have been possible, due to the booze sodden state of my poor, forgetful and badly damaged brain. Oooo-haaaa. We set off in the afternoon for our second trek. A short journey down the river takes us to the start of the trail; a steep climb up through the jungle. The clouds above speak of rain, and soon the droplets filter down through the trees. We walk for around half an [View Full Entry]

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We´ve Got Fun and Games 25/04 - 26/04/08 Morning breaks. We´re up early, ready for our first trek into the jungle. During the coming week, we will undetake three treks, in search of wild Orangutan. Francis explains that he will be on the look out for signs of ape life, such as nests, which the Orang build in trees. They never sleep in the same nest twice, moving on each morning. This is one reason why it is very hard to spot Orangutan. Francis tells us that only two groups out of fourteen have previously managed to see one, so the [View Full Entry]

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Welcome to the Jungle Mon 24/03/08 After a long bus ride, we arrive at Batang Ai (Big River) accompanied by our host and guide, Francis. We are met by members of the Iban tribe, and loaded into longboats for the trip down the river to our new home. These are my drunken, scribbled notes on the trip. Welcome to the Jungle. The boat is speeding along, away from civilization and deep, deep into the heart of the darkness. The air whistles by and my head spins. The sun shines down, and the dark green water stares up at us. My stomach [View Full Entry]

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Kuching Fri 21/03 - 23/03/08 I arrive at KL's LCC (Low Cost Carrier) terminal to catch my flight to Kuching, Borneo. The others are flying from the main airport, so I'm left alone. I have over three hours to wait until my flight, so I spend 45minutes on the toilet, dealing with another of those situations that nagged and bothered me all the way during the journey. This is the problem, for me at least, with early morning travel. My bowels are generally steady and calm until around 11am, when storm winds start blowing and I have to find a safe [View Full Entry]

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Farewell to Zoo Taiping Thurs 20/03/08 And so again, another ending. The alarm clock rings its bell, and my eyes open up to the last day of being a zoo keeper. We all make an extra effort to get up and out of the house in good time, and maybe for the first time we arrive together, before 8am. Today has to go well. I don't want to end the zoo experience with a bad taste in my mouth. Things got a little out of hand the last few days, and communication in the group broke down badly. Today, the karma [View Full Entry]

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