Day 331 to Day 346 (13.11.2007 - 28.11.07) Vietnam For Vietnam, we had to prepare ourselves, and as it happened we had been forewarned by travellers we had met before hand of the do’s and don’ts as well as things to watch out for (scams, knickers thieves, hand bag snatchers and the general rudeness of the Vietnamese). Vietnam seemed to be one of those countries one either loves or loathes and that would depend entirely on particular experiences. Bearing in mind then the countries overwhelming sense of joyful lawlessness, their troubled past and the people’s ‘living in the moment’ spirit we [View Full Entry]

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Day 321 to Day 331 (03.11.07 - 13.11.07) Lao People's Democratic Republic Next, we crossed into Laos, the long awaited 'ahhhhhhhh' country - where everything is so laid back it’s untrue - the people take life extremely easy - it’s hard work trying to get or buy anything as the hotel/ shop owners are often nodding off somewhere rather than dragging you by the arm into their store! Laos is without a doubt south-east Asia’s most relaxing country with no smoggy metropolis and no aggressive sales sharks. The north rugged terrain of emerald mountains and dramatic limestone peaks is crisscrossed with [View Full Entry]

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Day 290 to Day 321 (03.10.07 - 03.11.07) Crossing the border from Malaysia by bus was a 12 hour yet stress-free expedition, the Thai-Malay border is one with relatively few problems of all the borders in S.E.A. We soon saw the cultural differences though, and it was not long until we really knew we were in Thailand - the local food being rice and pork with chillies instead of chicken-rice! The Kingdom of Thailand draws more visitors than any other country in southeast Asia with its irresistible combination of breathtaking natural beauty, inspiring temples, renowned hospitality, robust cuisine and ruins of [View Full Entry]

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Day 277 to Day 289 (21.09.07 - 02.10.07) South-east Asia has certainly grown on us, and have been really enjoying the culture and history-rich continent as well as the cheapness and the food! Malaysia is a hassle-free country (unusual in Asia) which is rich in diverse landscapes and multi-ethnic foods. It has technology crazy shopping malls selling cutting edge goods and an incredible mix of peoples and lifestyles. Malaysia consists of two distinct regions: Peninsula Malaysia is the long finger of land extending south from Asia and is mostly covered with dense jungle, and Malaysian Borneo has two jungle filled states [View Full Entry]

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Day 254 to Day 276 (09.09.07 - 21.09.07) Leaving Australia behind was a little sad, but actually we were ready for it, as money was running out and it was quite crippling to stay any longer on a backpacker budget, with all the expensive trips we did, all totally worth it of course, but we were soo looking forward to the rather more cheap Asia. South East Asia would be our third contient on this trip, and a refreshing change in culture and style after a few months in Australasia. Starting at the bottom just across the gulf between Australia and [View Full Entry]

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Day 197 - Day 253 (11.07.07 - 09.09.07) Australia's biggest attraction is its natural beauty. The landscape varies from endless sunbaked horizons to dense tropical rainforest to chilly southern beaches. Scattered along the coasts, its cities blend a European enthusiasm for art and food with a laid-back love of sport and the outdoors. VICTORIA Melbourne - briefly Our first stop in Australia was Melbourne, a 2 and a half hour flight from Christchurch, NZ, and we were really excited to be in Australia. We stayed friends we had made in Buenos Aires a few months earlier in a suburb of Melbourne, [View Full Entry]

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Day 174 - Day 196 (20.06.07 - 11.07.07) New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation - very much seperate from its almost-neighbour Australia. We had heard, in our months of travelling, nothing but wonderful stories about this country from other travellers who had since had the priviledge of going there, and so we were well excited about being able to go there too! A place of wonder and fantastic scenery (lord of the rings aside) [View Full Entry]

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Day 167 to Day 172 ( 13.06.07 - 18.06.07 ) A tiny isolated place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean Going to Easter Island is something we never thought would happen to us, but fate had it in our hands that gave us wind of news of a ticket sale on at Lan airline....the only airline that flies the 5 hr flight to Easter Island, and we were there at the right time luckily! As one of the world's most famous yet least visited archaeological sites, Easter Island is a small, hilly, now treeless island of volcanic origin and we [View Full Entry]

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Day 139 - Day 143 (15.05.07 - 19.05.07) After our exhaustive travels in Argentina, we had really come to love the country and all is had to offer, it is a country so vast and diverse that we will most definitely be back in the future! So crossing the border to Brazil again, was both a little sad but also quite exciting, the tropical heat was well sought after after the cold of its next-door neighbour! The Pantanal The long awaited trip to the Pantanal in Brazil, had finally come, we had timed our South American tour around it, much [View Full Entry]

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Day 135 - Day 138 (11.05.07-14.05.07) The worldwide famous waterfalls that straddle the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay were a must-see sight in our south american adventures. Iguazu falls, composed of more than 250 separate falls, that extend over 3km across the river, is amazing to see, and recognised as the world's most dramatic waterfalls. Keen to fully appreciate these waterfalls, we were to see both sides. First stop was logically Puerto Iguazu, on the Argentinian side. Puerto Iguazu, Argentina The Argentinian side, offered a rather more interactive experience, 'wet-and-wild' type thing, where there are bridges leading right under [View Full Entry]

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