Sydney by far was my favourite city within Australia. It feels a lot more vibrant and you get a real feel of the hundreds of cultures within the city and its suburbs. We were staying about 15 minutes outside of the CBD and I was really expecting there to be a major increase in terms of prices ala London but in places such as Marrickville and Newtown you can actually get cheaper restaurant meals etc than I have seen anywhere else. We had a week to explore Sydney and to get in some much needed rest after the hikes of the [View Full Entry]

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...one and a half months of camping and I was seriously ready for a bed. One of the best things about travelling has to be the people you meet. Yes some are crazily weird and look like they have never been home, or simply can't remember where home is. But some are simply lovely and will meet you for one night on the Mekong Delta and 3 months later you arrive in the Blue Mountains and they put you up in their house (which has beds!!) and feed you! Luckily I was with the latter! The Blue Mountains are a two [View Full Entry]

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After embracing Australia Day celebrations fully with an Aussie barbie and a game of Cricket (in which I flew the POMS flag) we picked up hire car number two and started Australia adventure number three! Luckily I couldn't drive this leg (Avis up the price by $300 if you are under 25!) so with a slight hangover we headed from Brisbane towards Byron Bay. I had heard mixed reports about Byron. A lot of people say it is way too hyped; but I have to disagree with them. Yes it has its fair share of touristy shops with prices wacked up [View Full Entry]

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Who would have thought after a 6 hour flight you could still be in the same country!? However I live to tell the tale! We arrived in Brisbane and I can't tell you how strange it was to finally see someone I knew after nearly 5 months! An almost a sigh of..."ok you can look after me now" and how looked after was I! It was brilliant to be back into the land of family homes; not only to know your things are safe without you having to sit on them but also you can wash your clothes in a machine [View Full Entry]

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Ok so slightly earlier than planned we arrived in Perth; not really thinking through the fact that we were going to have to try to get a place to stay the night before new year's eve. Nonetheless we did at Perth City YHA; a fantastic hostel with everything you could want or need. We did however pay for it! We spent a few days over the New Year's break exploring the sights of Perth....the first thing that shocked me was how empty the CBD is despite the fact it is possibly Western Australia's main city. It looked and felt more like [View Full Entry]

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Arriving in Bali at midnight after a good flight from Singapore, sleepy eyed and needing rest, the last thing we wanted to see was a man stating we now all had to pay $25 visa entry. Oops didn't plan that one! Luckily we dug deep into our pockets and grumpily handed over the cash... We had arranged a lift from the airport and again I had to answer to a board that vaguely represented me... my Indonesian name is Hannaliki Knowler! The first place we stayed in was on the Kuta/Legian border just tucked down one of their many gangs (backstreets). [View Full Entry]

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Quite simply in the vast madness of Asia, Singapore was not only a godsend but a much needed rest and an almost return to normality! Having spent the last week here, in a gorgeous flat with its own pool, tennis courts and gym, I finally feel a little more rested and ready for the madness of Christmas and New Year in Bali! It has been a really good week of sightseeing and replenishing stocks.... favourite spot has to Raffles Hotel and of course the Singapore Sling in the Long Bar. The hotel is incredibly impressive with the variety of deliciousness to [View Full Entry]

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It was actually like being on the French/Swiss Alp border over the last week. We arrived after another crazily long and scary harpin mountain coach drive to a town which looked like a miniture French toy town! Beautiful scenery on the way up, watching the locals with various wild and wacky looking fruit. Although slightly cooler at a height of 2400m, it was still mad heat during the day for what should be building up for Christmas weather! We decided to spend the first few days "doing the lonely planet". Which included various cathedrals, temples and gardens. However we also went [View Full Entry]

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After a quick turn around in Ho Chi Minh we headed for Mui Ne, a coastal town just north of Phan Thiet; a place world famous for its production of fish sauce! The journey was ok, a/c bus and free water and snacks but I was shocked at a) the driving b) the roads themselves and c) the actual time it takes to get anywhere in Vietnam considering how fast the coach drivers are driving!! 150km in 5 hours...beautiful! We had decided to give ourselves a week here, mainly in order to get some sun time in but also after now [View Full Entry]

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Ok so after these four days, I am officially in love with Vietnamese people. Travelling south out from Ho Chi Minh, we decided to spend 4 days floating along the river of the Mekong Delta. The whole place is beautiful and surprinsingly diverse. I was unsure as to quite what to expect from a place full of little canals and people who live on floating houses but the experience was simply awesome. I think it was helped by the fact that we decided to spend part of our time in a homestay. It is how is sounds...you get to stay with [View Full Entry]

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