Anna & Chris
Chris Anna
We started this blog back in February 2006, just before we zipped up our backpacks, patted the cat goodbye and did what thousands of other New Zealanders do every year.
We set off on our Overseas Experience (known to Kiwis as ‘the O.E’)
We intended to see the whole damn world AND be back in New Zealand in two or three years time. Hmm, how’s that for ambition... or naivety?!
Despite Anna’s worst fears (London - ew! Dirty and full of rats isn’t it?), we have absolutely loved our stay in the UK. We have been lucky enough to see a great deal of Britain and have made a good attempt on the rest of Europe too. As for seeing the whole damn world?
Well, let’s just say we now realise how incredibly big the planet actually is! Asia, Europe, Africa and South America in two years? What were we thinking?!
During the past year and a half, our travels have been by van. Our legendary blue transit (who went by the name 'Brain-not-sexy-but-good') took us 5500 miles across Europe last summer. Good ol Brian is still out there, currently cruising around France and Portugal with his new Australian owners!
We used the book '1001 natural wonders you must see before you die' to plan lots of our travels. From waterfalls, mountains and lakes to freaky rock formations - we have tried to make an effort to see the natural stuff. The coral reefs, rain forests and untouched islands - all changing with frightening speed. What will some of our photos look like to our great, great, great grandchildren?
After four and a half years of working and travel in the Northern Hemisphere, we have given up our jobs, packed a shipping container and decided to head back to the ‘Land of the long white cloud’ New Zealand.
The five month trip from London to Whangarei (oh yeah, Mum & Dad, did we mention that we were ‘moving in’ for a few weeks? Surprise!) follows a pretty well trodden route: Turkey, Moscow, Trans- Mongolian railway across Russia, Lake Baikal, ger to ger trekking in Mongolia, China, Tibet (depending on the political situation) Nepal trekking, Manila, Bacuit Archipelago, Camper-vanning from Perth to Nigaloo Reef and finally New Zealand.
If you want to follow our trip home, add this page to your favourites or click on the subscribe button. That way you’ll get an email each time we publish a new blog entry. Oh joy, an inbox full of prattle from those two - just what the doctor ordered eh?!
We haven’t set foot in New Zealand since 25th April 2006 and wonder how it is going to feel to walk into the arrivals hall at Auckland Airport on Christmas Eve 2010?
Pretty damn good we hope!
xox Anna & Chris
Till we get back to New Zealand
Travel Blog Posts
Life's a beach... until the rains came down and the floods came up
Published: January 19th 2011Oceania » Australia » Western Australia » Carnarvon
December 27th 2010
Since leaving the UK in August, we have been through quite a bit. Crazy bus rides, constant travellers tummy troubles, foul breathed camels and an overnighter in a Tibetan Hospital had all started to take their toll. We were feeling just a bit jaded and keen to get back to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time in nearly five years. Our next stop after the Philippines was the sedate and civilised city of Perth in Western Australia. And so the final chapter begins. Days 1-3 – recovering in Perth The guy at MAF is young and cheerful. He seems to be smiling a lot and calling everyone ‘Mate’. I feel confident that he will have no problem with the carved wooden bowl that Chris warned me not to buy from the Philippines. I carried the ... read more
December 5th 2010
We have been a bit lazy recently. After a relaxing week in El Nido, we headed North towards the Calamian Group of Islands in northern Palawan. The journey there was easy enough to arrange. Boats leave El Nido for Coron everyday but the journey was slow. Nearly nine hours after it departed, The Princess Welia, chugged it’s way into Coron Town on Busuanga Island. Ironically, The Princess Welia is supposedly the ‘quick boat’ but the seas were choppy the day we travelled. Thankfully the boat was stable in the water and handled the swells without anyone being sick over the edge. Our first night was spent in Coron Town which was pretty uneventful. Coron Town wasn’t exactly an inspiring place, it’s no tropical paradise – we couldn’t wait to leave! Thankfully we had decided to spoil ... read more
November 22nd 2010
There are some places in the world, where despite your best efforts with the camera, the photos just don't do it any justice. The Bacuit Archipelago in Palawan is one of those places. I first read about El Nido on travelblog, and since then, the Philippines has been high up on our 'must see' list. The trip didn't have the most promising of starts due to delays out of Kathmandu and lost backpacks in Delhi, but one whole travelling day later, we found ourselves in Manila. After a quick two night stay in Makati, we were soon off on a domestic flight to Puerto Princesa. When we landed at Puerto Princesa airport, we were greeted with pouring rain! I was secretly hoping for necklaces of tropical flowers but we were each handed an umbrella so we ... read more
November 14th 2010
After a bit of repacking and post trek binge eating,we were ready to leave the dusty streets of Kathmandu and head for greener pastures. Our destination for a bit of relaxation was Pokhara. A small lakeside town with views of the Annapurna Ranges. It felt like a million miles away from Kathmandu and was exactly the sort of place where we needed to chill out for a bit. As it turned out, it was lucky that we arranged to stay here for nearly a week because we both picked up colds and didn't feel like doing much at all. The only activities we did were taking boat out on the lake for a three hour paddle and visiting a few museums. The rest of the time was spent eating, sleeping and catching up with our friends ... read more
November 9th 2010
After our trek, there was nothing we wanted more than a good sleep and a decent meal. Since our return to Kathmandu coincided with the Hindu festival of Diwali, our chances of getting a good nights sleep for the next few nights looked pretty slim! Nevermind, there wasn't much we could do to avoid the noise. Diwali in Kathmandu was as colourful and manic as anywhere else. Shops were decorated, mandalas made from brightly coloured powders and petals were carefully constructed outside businesses and houses, children visited every shop and house in town - singing until they were given a few rupees or sent on their way with a push. The smell of candles and oil lamps filled the air, while after dark, the city streets were alive with flickering light as thousands of tea lights ... read more
November 5th 2010
The first thing that came to our mind when planning a trip to Nepal was trekking. We had wanted to do some of the world famous treks. The Annapurna Circuit or Langtang were high up on the list, but after my little hospital stay in Tibet, I wasn't overly keen to experiment with altitude again! We eventually decided on the Helambu Trek mainly because it didn't require long bus rides and the maximum altitude is 3640m. The most difficult aspect of the trek was choosing a trekking agency. Every second shop in Kathmandu is a trekking agency and every fourth guy who approaches you in the street is a 'guide' (The first guy is usually trying to sell you dope, the second is selling Tiger Balm and the third is trying to coax you into a ... read more
October 28th 2010
After our little (mis)adventure in Tibet, we were pretty sure that we were going to cut the trip a month short. I overturned this decision only about an hour after crossing the land border at Kodari. I was still feeling pretty rubbish, but as I turned my head, I noticed a giant black butterfly fly only a few metres in front of me. Corny I know, but I opened my eyes, took a good look around and realised how crazy it would be to leave such a beautiful place early. Chris of course was thrilled. So here we are in Kathmandu, only 5 days into our 32 day visit to Nepal. We had heard some pretty bad things about Kathmandu but we have treated Kathmandu like a mini holiday and found it really enjoyable. Our objective ... read more
Seven days in Tibet (and one night in Tingri hospital)
Published: October 28th 2010Asia » China » Tibet » Friendship Highway
October 24th 2010
The decision to go to Tibet was a difficult one. On one hand we really wanted to see the culture and environment before it is completely changed, on the other hand, we weren't too keen on being forced onto a pre-arranged guided tour and given a carefully selected view of the country courtesy of the Chinese Government. In the end, our desire to see the country won and we signed up for a very typical seven day budget tour of Tibet taking in Lhasa, Yamdrok-Tso Lake and Everest Base Camp before heading on down The Friendship Highway to the Tibet / Nepal border. As if we hadn't had enough of trains, we opted for the 48 hour train ride from Chengdu to Lhasa, sharing our sleeper cabin with a lovely French girl and shy German man. ... read more
October 15th 2010
I should have known from our experiences at Xi-an, that Chengdu wasn't going to be a small leafy village, dedicated to tourists. Chengdu is a huge bustling city of over four million! Towering skyscrapers and gleaming shopping malls sit alongside temples and tea houses. In the back streets, small scale businesses are tucked into every available space. Despite its huge size, population and horrific air quality, we really enjoyed Chengdu. Heaven: We visited 'The Peoples Park' to see where the locals try to get a bit of quiet time. Quiet time? What were we thinking? I have never seen such a busy public space. It almost made the London Parks look lifeless! Karaoke contestants, story-tellers, break-dancers, chess players, candy floss sellers, tea merchants, ear canal cleaners, dog walkers, opera singers, balloon magicians, candy makers and loads ... read more
October 8th 2010
Crossing the border from Mongolia into China is a funny affair. For us, the border crossing took place at midnight so no one was allowed off the train to watch the bogie's being changed. Instead we all watched from the window as our train was separated into pieces, hoisted up into the air and then lowered onto a new gauge to fit the Chinese rails. It was actually pretty amazing to watch and most of the passengers on the train look loads of photos. The immigration officers took away our passports for a few hours, came back for another visit, checked our rooms and then... well, I don't know what happened next because we all fell asleep and woke up the next day in China. Not only did we enter a new country, but I entered ... read more
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