http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Mandie/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Mandie en-us Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:04:30 +0000 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:04:30 +0000 It's been seven weeks since I arrived in the tiny town of Pai Thailand. Apologies for not writing this blog sooner but time seems to move at a different speed here. It's the kind of speed that is slow enough to absorb the simple moments of each day but quick enough that a month goes by in a blink of an eye. This is an isolated oasis on a travellerrsquos journey. An oasis that sees many come in http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Pai/blog-251269.html I have a lot of moments here which make me feel happy to be alive perhaps it's the natural beauty of the place the genuine people I come into contact with or just simply doing something I enjoy in life. I have completely enjoyed watching the seasons change here too the colours of autumn were awesome we miss out on those in tropical Queensland and now we have had our first real heavy snow f http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Muntenia/Prahova/Valea-Screzii-/blog-227764.html I was dragging my feet leaving Greece ashamed to admit that the comfort of a developed nation had enveloped me and enticed me back into a way of life I know all too well. But there was no need to worry...futile really...as I found a spring in my step as I ventured through Sofia Bulgaria's capital for the first time despite my lack of sleep on the overnight train journey from Thessaloniki I tho http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/West/Sofia/blog-204501.html When one imagines a Greek holiday I suppose most will picture endless sunbathing indulgence of all Greek cuisine hmmm olives and possibly even a good dose of Island nightlife...I certainly tried to contain any expectations I might have given my invitation saw me trundling off to Greece in a minibus crammed with 15 of us...it was a story of 1 priest his wife their 10 month old daughter 11 R http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Central-Macedonia/Thessaloniki/blog-204495.html I was greeted by a small Romanian clan from Pro Vita the organisation I am volunteering for Mel Mihail and Janet Mel's English aunt at the airport an enthusiastic reception despite the late hour almost midnight as my flight was delayed by over an hour. At the car I am met immediately with Mihail booming out to me NO NO NO DONT TOUCH THE BOOT OF THE CAR it apparently fell off its h http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Muntenia/Prahova/Valea-Screzii-/blog-201473.html Thankfully I was on a bit of a buzz after the fun I had in Switzerland so I could almost keep up with Jen and her friend Dean in the partying stakes when I met up with them in Budapest. This city is geered for the summer party season with large open clubs you'd expect to find on a Greek island rather than an inland Eastern European city. Needless to say any sightseeing I managed during the da http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Hungary/Budapest/blog-201468.html If I could wrap up all of Switzerland and all the people inside it and give it a big kiss a french one at that I would. I had such a fabulous time in this tiny anally organised breathtakingly beautiful country. Couchsurfing paella party as a start see separate entry the week continued on in similar fashion with each day spent with at least someone else from the party.My trip timed perfect http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/blog-191099.html Words are truly going to fail me miserably I think as I try to describe what an awesome introduction I had to Switzerland at the completely random event of the annual Couchsurfing Paella Party started by one very zany Swiss guy from Gossau. Firstly within couchsurfing anybody can start a meetingpartygathering all you do is list it under the meeting page with the details and people can sign up http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-East/Gossau/blog-191079.html I was first greeted by fields of sunflowers and wind turbines when I travelled into Austria on the train from Krakow. First stop was Salzburg...I wanted to visit the home of the Sound of Music In a bid to keep this blog from not being too wordy as I am doing all these countries in one hit before heading into internet abyss of Romanian village life tomorrow I thought I would share my two perfec http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/blog-191063.html Despite the stifling heat blanketed over the city somehow the chimes of the bell tower striking midnight make their way to my hostel as I lie there awake with sleep escaping me. Sounds slightly poetic doesn't it Well that is exactly the effect this city has on me...it somehow has ignited a yearning to be poetic. Not originally living up to the expectation set of Krakow having the same beauty of http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Krakow/blog-190454.html So it only seems fitting when you have two newbies arrive in London aka Brett Lara that some tourist sightseeing is in order...first stop changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. What a spectacle Seems like a rather lot of fanfare for just some guards swapping shifts but you know this is England and its the Queen's guards so who I am to judge. I actually missed the fanfare walking in http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-182378.html It has to be said that one of the great things about travelling is the people you meet...even better must be the people you get to see again after some time apart I had a great time catching up with my friend Deon for the first time in 2 years his family from Zimbabwe put on a great summer BBQ the sun was even shining in Englandyay and a great shindig ensued for the rest of the night...wa http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-182290.html So Irsquove just discovered Couchsurfinghellipits a community of people across the world that open their homes and let you sleep on their coucheshellipcheck it out its the coolest thing I have been introduced to since acidhellipwww.couchsurfing.com its kind of like Facebook only with a purposeful benefit to humanity I surfed with a few people in Belgium and they were all lovely http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Brussels-Capital-Region/Brussels/blog-182092.html My most favourite manmade place on earth...I love this festival I honestly do...but this year was just a tad too wet and muddy for even my goodnatured spirit It is incredible though I thought the last two years I went were big but somehow this year they managed to open the gate for an extra 40000 people grand total ticket sales 177500...as Bimbi kept pointing out that is more than t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Somerset/Glastonbury/blog-182085.html Its amazing how quickly the past two years seem to have flown by as soon as I touched down it felt like I had never left. Stinky olersquo London some sayhellipand itrsquos true you know this place has a certain smell stench would be too harsh of a word about it. And this smell took me back exactly to the first time I came to London four years agohellipthe closest thing I could liken http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-171174.html