Chris Kate

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 rivers making travelling incredibly slow; in contrast to that of the south which is flat as a pancake and sprinkled with palm trees. Laos, separated from the economic powerhouse of Thailand by the massive Mekong ... read more

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 with extensive river systems. 'Malaya' achieved independence in 1957, followed by periods of instability and only became Malaysia as we now know it today in 1963, thus it was interesting to be there for the ... read more

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, the first things we noticed, were the streets all looked like they do in Ramsey Street! Jamie and Craig looked after us well, took us to see the kangaroos that hopped around in a paddock ... read more

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 felt priviledged to be able to go there and experience it! We had anticipated a deserted island with a limited population and not so many tourists, travelling in low season we were blessed with something ... read more

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 parts of the falls, where you get seriously wet from the spray and feel the intensity of the thunderous downhill falling of water. The falls tumble for 2km from the Rio Iguazu Superior down a ... read more