Dave goes round the World in 168 days

I know it’s been a long while since I posted a blog on here and my apologies for being hopelessly behind and for the lack of photos to accompany this particular blog however all will become clear. The flight from Brisbane to Singapore was pleasant and uneventful however the arrival into Singapore could have been a different story. I arrived at about 20:30hrs and I should have learned by now to book my first nights accommodation in advance, especially when arriving late in the evening. So after a couple of phone calls thinking I was going to have another night like my first in Melbourne I managed to book in at the Summer Tavern. I bought a pass for the excellent super clean and ultra modern underground system which made the trip downtown easy and quick. ... read more

My time in New Zealand had come to an end and it was with a little sadness I boarded the flight to Melbourne via Sydney thinking that NZ has now set the benchmark for all of my future travels. I arrived in to Melbourne after a pleasant flight chatting to Naomi who lived and worked there and sang its praises telling me as many more Melbournites would that it’s a much friendlier place than Sydney and that I would enjoy it more. My Lonely Planet guide book said there was no need to book ahead and accommodation was plentiful however I expect when that was written it wasn’t Australia Day weekend and the Australian Open Tennis Championship wasn’t in town. I spent 2 long hours walking the streets looking for accommodation and when I finally found ... read more

Day 34 Friday 28th December 2007 Auckland, New Zealand It was an early start to catch the flight down from Nandi to Auckland however it was on time and only took three hours. From the airport it was a half hour ride on the bus down into central Auckland where I had already pre-booked a bed at Base (a network of hostels in NZ) First on the agenda was to sort out what I would be doing and where on New Year’s Eve so I booked onto the ‘Kiwi Experience’ up to Paihia in the Bay of Islands on the advice of Ross who I had met in Fiji. The ‘Kiwi Experience’ is a backpacker bus that covers the whole of New Zealand and guarantee’s your first night’s accommodation in any given place so to be ... read more

My appologies for such a late entry however the internet is still in its infancy in Fiji so its had to wait! Day 16 10th December 2007 Lima to Los Angeles Whilst waiting in Lima airport for my flight to LA for what seemed like forever I noticed yet another delay posted on the departure boards. My flight was due to leave at 00.40hrs and the new departure time was now 3.30hrs. I did however notice another flight bound for LA at 00.30hrs so I asked to be moved and LAN Peru staff kindly agreed, result! I arrived early into LAX and called a shuttle bus to take me to the hostel at Venice Beach. I had a walk along the front and grabbed some breakfast before checking into the hostel and then hiring a bike ... read more

Day 6 Friday 30th November 2007 Lima, Peru. I arrived in Lima at 08:25 following a long sleepless flight. It was a free for all outside the airport as I was mobbed by the dozens of taxi drivers. I negotiated a price of 40 Soles (£6.50) for the 45 minute journey to the hotel Girasoles which is located in the Miraflores district of Lima. The journey in the 1973 Datsun Sunny was fun to say the least, it was rush hour and there are no rules in terms of lane discipline etc.. Much of Lima is like a run down Spanish city and the place is shrouded in low cloud and fog for much of the year but apparently it does lift in January for 8 weeks or so. Karl at Travel Nation had booked an ... read more