LOUISE21
Louise Custance Joined: July 7th 2009
Logged in: April 4th 2011
Logged in: April 4th 2011
I've completed a bachelor degree in landscape architecture and architecture, and have currently deferred the three years of masters.. mostly to travel for six months.
I've always taken every opportunity to travel where i can, sometimes having to go on the ultimate low budget holiday but it all forms part of the experience of being a uni student and compulsive traveller!
My first overseas trip was in 2007 after i finished school and went around the world and visited the US, cayman islands, europe and singapore. In 2008 I went to Bali to check out what all the fuss was about. Followed by a trip to New Caledonia in early 2009. Had three weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia during the winter of 2009 and a month later went back to Bali. The travel addiction had well and truly hit. Early 2010 I went back to Christmas Island (where i hadnt been since i lived there 10 years before) followed by a cruise back to New Caledonia with a group of people. A relatively low key year while i began to save for 2011, only a minor 10 day trip to the south island of NZ in between! I'm now off to see the world for six months... Destinations include:
FIJI.VANCOUVER.WHISTLER.BANFF.LAKE LOUISE.SEATTLE.
MEXICO.BELIZE.GUATEMALA.HONDURAS.NICARAGUA.COSTARICA.MIAMI.
PERU.BOLIVIA.ARGENTINA.URUGUAY.BRAZIL.
EUROPEAN SUMMER. (various destinations!)
TURKEY.SYRIA.JORDAN.EGYPT.MALAYSIA.HOME
If i make it to all these places i will only have Antartica left to walk on before i have been to all the continents on this planet.
Have visited every state in Australia at least twice, so you could say ive had extensive domestic travel as well.. It's an addiction.
No matter how many amazing places there are in this world. Australia will always be home :)
I'm going to try and keep this blog updated throughout the year!
Travel Blog Posts
Arrived in Hanoi and were greeted with our first scam which Hanoi is known for! Luckily i had marie so we got very angry at the bus driver who had dropped us off outside of the city centre. We got a motorbike to the Old Town and found some accommodation. Stayed at Thu Giang Guesthouse, which was pretty cheap and i got recommended to stay there anyway. Booked my tour to Halong Bay and Sapa and went to explore Hanoi. It was absolutely pouring!!! Experienced my first vietnamese rain and the streets were flooded in such a short period of time. It was up to my knees in some streets. Walked through the water to the indoor markets and had a look around. It eventually stopped raining and its amazing how quick the water disappeared.. Went ... read more
Picture 003
Hoi An was very hot when we arrived! Had some food then went into the Old Town, which is right near our hotel and goes along to the river. Bought a ticket (quite expensive for vietnam!) and saw some of the sights, the Japanese Covered Bridget, Cantonese Assembly Hall, etc. Went to some of the shops, i got a dress made so went and picked it up later. They measured me and everything and they had heaps of catalogues of stuff to choose from. Its not heaps cheap but for what they do, and can make anything its pretty cool! and its what Hoi An is known for. If i had more money i'd go crazy! Came back to the hotel for a little while and relaxed, had a swim in the pool then went back ... read more
Ho Chi Minh Quiet Street
Well after spending the day in Nha Trang relaxing by the beach etc, the fun began! Had tea at the restaurant part of the hostel with Marie, the English/Aussie girl. We had a voucher for a free cocktail and fruit salad when we had tea so that was good value! We saw the guys from my dorm, and another girl had arrived, so i wasnt the only one in the room! She was also English, called Lauren and pretty cool. We went to this bar called Guava, where there were 2 for 1 tiger beers during happy hour so we enjoyed a few of them. Had a good time chatting to the guys and we went abck to the bar/restaurant that we had tea at. After a couple of bucket cocktails there (about $3) we moved ... read more
Kind of glad to be away from the chaos of what is Ho Chi Minh City. I spent yesterday wandering around the city, met this thai brother and sister (the brother lives in vietnam now) and went to their house, where i had some vietnamese food that the old lady had cooked. The house was very small on each level but five storeys high. The guy taught me how to play poker + blackjack bcos he is a vip dealer on star cruises, and in the sheraton hotel. He sees a lot of money taht's for sure! I went and chilled at the guesthouse that i had checked out of, they said i could use the internet and leave my bags there which was very nice of them, and its a safe place so i felt ... read more
After flights to Perth - Singapore - Ho Chi Minh City, i arrived ! Small delays mostly due to strong headwinds (200km/h) but had plenty of time anyway! A long night waiting at airports, but managed to sleep a bit on the plane. There were people spread out all over floor sleeping in Singapore. Stupid man at the visa section of the airport charged me $20 extra for my visa because i didn't have US dollars! Caught the bus from the airport to the town (cheapest option - and easy, although the driver didn't speak English so this Perth guy and i managed to work out when to get off). It was insane right from the word go. It certainly lived up to the expectations i had from reading about the traffic! A nightmare, but so ... read more
