http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Forget-9-to-5/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Forget 9 to 5 en-us Sat, 18 May 2013 17:57:32 +0000 Sat, 18 May 2013 17:57:32 +0000 So I am home. How I feel about all this is for another blog should I ever work out how to put into words how I actually feel right now What I can say is that in the past two weeks I have enjoyed immensely rediscovering the area where I grew up. After two years roaming the world ticking off 39must dos39 having lifechanging experiences and seeing UNESCO World Heritage sights I have retur http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Dorset/Blackmore-Vale/blog-703463.html You can find creativity and adornment in the most surprising corners in this case an abandoned stone quarry on the Isle of Portland in the south of England. Who wants to traipse around stuffy art galleries looking at coloured lines on a canvas when you can get your dose of culture out in the fresh air and sunshine Not I If you39ve followed my blogs for a while you will have realised that I g http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Dorset/Portland/blog-703460.html By the time most people read this I39ll be back in the arms of my friends and family. After nearly two years on the road I39m almost home Back when I booked my flights seven months ago I thought I39d want to extend the adventures as long as possible and planned for time in Sydney and Hong Kong to break up the journey. Now I just want to click my fingers and be there let this emotional r http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-698646.html How is it even possible that it39s been 2 years since I packed up my desk packed up my room packed up my bags and left the world of 9to5 behind me Time has flown by and in just a few hours I will be packing up my bags once again checking in and jumping on a big plane winging its way back to Blighty. In many ways I absolutely cannot wait to set foot on British soil or tarmac again but a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Heathrow-Airport/blog-698464.html As well as revisiting old favourites on my quick trip through the South Island I39ve tried to tick off a few sites on my mustdostill list. Abel Tasman and Dunedin were both on this list as was Doubtful Sound and a fortnight ago I finally visited this beautiful and remote part of Fiordland. We piled camping gear into Luke and Lisa39s beast of a 4x4 and drove out to Te Anau for a night un http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Fiordland-National-Park/Doubtful-Sound/blog-695704.html Good afternoon readers this blog is part David Attenborough documentary part ecology lesson and mostly promoting two excellent tour operators in the South Island.I have been doing my favourite thing since I finished work last week and hunting out the local wildlife in a foreign country not with a rifle sight and snares but with binoculars infrared torches and some very helpful knowledgabl http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Dunedin/blog-695701.html My Aussie mate Jeffrey had never visited mainland New Zealand in his many years on this earth despite his home town of Sydney being located on the West Island of NZ He39s accumulated enough Kiwi and temporarily Kiwilandlocated buddies during his travels around the rest of the world though and we all persuaded him it was about time he visited. As I was about to leave this wonderful country http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/West-Coast/blog-695703.html Having lived in the nearest big town to the Abel Tasman National Park for nearly five months it was about time I got out there and actually explored it I decided on a rather energetic day trip into the park to try and see the highlights. Our trip started with a water taxi ride out to Bark Bay in the middle of the park. On the way we had photo stops at Split Apple Rock looks quite a bit like it s http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-695699.html The view from the road......and the air. After the last blog I thought I39d go back to eulogising about just how spectacularly beautiful New Zealand is And hopefully convincing you all of this fact through a few photos taken on my journeyings around the South Island recently. A bit of geography first. New Zealand is made up of two main islands combined they are a similar size to Great Britai http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-684948.html Two nights safely spent in Christchurch three nights four...still I haven39t felt a single quake or aftershock. I39m not sure if I39m more relieved or disappointed by this. Obviously I don39t want to be in a devastating earthquake anymore than I wish such terrifying aftershocks and damage on the already frayed nerves of Cantabrians. But a small part of me would like to feel the groun http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Nelson-Region/Nelson/blog-684750.html I apologise now for the gross overuse of superlatives and exclamation marks in this blog but there are a few places and activities in the world that mere adjectives alone cannot begin to accurately describe and trekking in the wilderness of Fiordland is one of themI have just returned and recovered from walking the Milford Track described back in the day as 39the finest walk in the world39 http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Fiordland-National-Park/blog-683063.html From the moment I emerged from Christchurch Airport into the swirling drizzle and Antarctic winds of a late Spring afternoon I knew I was going to have to find myself somewhere with a better climate if I was going to stay in New Zealand long term. All evidence pointed towards Nelson claiming to be the sunniest place in the country I wasted only a couple of days getting there. First though some m http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Nelson-Region/Nelson/blog-661828.html It was the cheapest way to fly from Australia to Malaysia but my six day soujourn on Bali turned out to be far better than any stopover I have had yet even if it did still involve a couple of nights sleeping on the floors of airportsWith only a few days on Bali and a month on the beach in Malaysia awaiting me I decided to head up into the centre of the island to Ubud. I39d always wanted to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Bali/Ubud/blog-639720.html It39s amazing the contacts you make working in a pub so it39s not really any surprise that after a few weeks working at The Port I was invited to help out at a plantation owned by a couple who drink in the pub. It has to be said the 6am starts did not appeal but I was bored of watching daytime tv all morning before starting at the pub at 1pm so I figured it would be a productive way to pas http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Carnarvon/blog-637478.html I39m no stranger to pubs. I39ve worked behind the bar in a couple and downed drinks on the other side of more establishments than I can well remember. However the world of a rural pub in Western Australia is another thing entirely. Seven months working in Australia was no preparation for what I faced on my first day as a barmaid in a local pub I felt like I39d been dropped in a new coun http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Carnarvon/blog-637279.html A couple of days recovering from my epic journey across Australia and I was ready to get out and see a bit more of this immense country. Unfortunately Perth did not woo me. After the bright lights excitement and happy memories of Sydney the most isolated capital in the world felt eerily quiet and uninspiring. I did get the train out to Freemantle one day which I thought had a nicer vibe and b http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Coral-Coast/blog-618983.html So I have finally found the momentum to leave Sydney. Even though I have been having an awesome time there I felt it would be a disservice to both myself and Australia if I did not explore at least a few hundred kilometres beyond the suburbs of the first city. But then where to go next After weeks of putting off the decision I eventually concluded that I needed to go somewhere the complete oppos http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-610301.html Anyone who has ever seen photos of Sydney let alone visited this beautiful place will know that it is a city with a close relationship to water. The never ending inlets and bays of Sydney Harbour are the playground of Sydneysiders this is where they relax at a waterfront bar exercise at beach bootcamps catch supper and even commute to work. And if the calm waters of the harbour are too sedat http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Sydney-Harbour/blog-609330.html It is just over a year since I gave up my 39proper39 job and the world of 9 to 5 in an office to travel. Obviously since then I have spent an inordinate amount of time sat on my arse doing absolutely nothing no different to when I was working I hear some of you cry although thankfully in much warmer and more beautiful surroundings. However on arriving in Australia my pockets were empty a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-593427.html Hi all I've met a new travel buddy over the past couple of weeks and we went on an awesome four day road trip to some sights around Sydney. Rather than write a whole new blog about our trip here's the link to their travel blog so you can read and see all about it. It's a fantastic blog if I do say so myself Flat Seth Hopefully we'll be sharing lots of new adventures over the next year that he http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/blog-592202.html