Dave Pen

We thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to let you all know where we are and what we are up to now. After 3 brilliant weeks in London catching up with all our friends & family there as well as in Holland and doing a few DIY jobs in our flat we packed our bags again and headed down south to Perth in Western Australia. We realised that we could not live in the UK forever and it seemed a logical time to make the move - especially since we still have a few months left on our Australian Work/Holiday visas. Perth is a big city but it feels small, it's clean and neat and offers an amazing, relaxed lifestyle. The beaches are really beautiful - white sand, blue water and plenty of space ... read more

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) After our bumpiest bus ride to date (felt more like we were riding on a horse than a bus) from Cambodia into Vietnam, we arrived in HCMC, formerly called Saigon. The traffic here was insane - thousands & thousands of motorbikes. To cross the road you just start slowly walking and this gives the bikes time to navigate around you. We visited the War Remnants Mueseum which shows some of the suffering people endured during the "American War", as it is called in Vietnam. Cu Chi Tunnels These are an amazing network of tiny tunnels used by the communist Viet Cong during the American war thetunnels ultimately assisted in their victory. There is a 90m stretch of tunnel that has been widened to 120cm by 80cm for us tourists to ... read more

Krabi We crossed over the border into Southern Thailand on the train. We were a little nervous as there has been alot of unrest in the area, so we were very aware of unattended baggage! We arrived in Hat Yai safely and took a mini bus to Krabi. This was the worst journey we have had to date as we were crushed into the van and driven at near death speeds on roads that were officially 2 lane but were used as 3! We took a long tail boat to Railey beach and spent the day relaxing on our lilo and just chilling. We met Camilla Todd and her friends Nicky and Tarryn at Raleigh beach, it was so weird to bump into her as it wasn't at all planned. We arranged to meet up again ... read more

We spent only spent 3 days in Singapore but managed to get a good idea of what the city/country has to offer. We stayed in the heart of Little India in a great hostel called the Inn Crowd. Little India is colourful and noisy, we visited many of the nearby temples and spent many hours browsing the markets here and in China town. We enjoyed a traditional street curry at a local restuarant which was served on paper and was hot as hell. Chinese New Year was nearing its end and the streets were still decorated with lights and lanterns making the city feel very festive. We enjoyed eating from the hawkers markets (except for one dish we ordered called an fried oyster omellete... so gross! ) We spent an afternoon on the famous Orchard road ... read more

Apart from the weather, New Zealand is a beautiful country. Around every corner you just want to stop and take photos. The south Island was cold (we had to dig out our jackets and Beanies), rainy, isolated and rugged but it's still worth spending more time here than on the North Island. South Island Christchurch *A beautiful city with lots of character, visited the cathedral and spent the afternoon watching the street performers. Oamaru * Enjoyed a drink in the untouched Colonial part of town * Watched the blue and yellow penguiins come ashore at dusk. Mt Cook * Passed amazing blue lakes. * Hiked up the Hooker Valley it was cloudy, but still able to see the glaciers. * Tasman Glacier lake had impressive icebergs floating in it. * Passed many spots where the Lord ... read more