hey ho.... I have had enough of this supposedly sweet little town. First I get a nasty tummy bug, then it rains for 2 days continuous, then I go out and have a nice time and get my purse nicked! I did get to the sea, on a bike, but several days later than expected due to the tum. The seaside was rather strange, lovely sand, backed by palm trees under which sat more traders than punters were on the beach. these poor mainly women wander the beach with their baskets of wares, trying to strike up conversations with people who want to be left alone to enjoy the sand/sun/sea... you get the picture. It is difficult not to feel sorry and guilty, in fact I find it a huge challenge to find a way to ... read more

Halong BAy was a great experience; a minibus of us (15) were driven out of Hanoi through yet more smog and haze towards the sea; but driving through one more town the air was black, really am v. upset at the horrendous pollution in this country as well as China; and worse, that they don't get it; are still building lots of factories with tall chimneys to put more smoke up into the atmosphere. heyho. I've managed to get laryngitis, am sure it's due to the smog, many folk here wear masks covering nose and mouth to avoid the worst, and lots of catarrh and colds abound. thankfully the Bay was great, tho we didn't get to see sunshine; we were taken on a Junk out into the bay for 24 hours, I had a cabin ... read more

Beijing was v. interesting. I visited lots of marvellous temples & pagodas, incl. the Forbidden City and Ming Tombs, Palace of Heaven, and braved the Great Wall on a tour; so I've walked up hundreds of steps, past several watch towers, my legs took several days to recover! I managed to get the hang of the metro system, v. proud of that. very few chinese speak English surprisingly, seem to be quite an introspective nation, tho younger people were very helpful if I looked lost, gazing at my map....we were staying at a private apartment, belonging to friends of Gaby, they were away, so we had a wonderful space for 6 days, thanks to them. I met some of G's ex-pat friends in town, very friendly and kind, and was introduced to some fabulous meals/dishes. Beijing ... read more

wow it's cold here in Beijing! the journey so far: despite dire warnings of train strikes on new yrs eve, all went well and I travelled via eurostar to Brussels, then to Berlin overnight all OK. met with my travelling companion, Gay, at airport and we flew to Moscow on N yrs day. thankfully she'd arranged a transfer from the airport to station, cos my Russian wasn't up to much, despite several lessons, however our taxi guy showed us a little of Moscow by night, lit by loads of lovely Christmas lights, looked wonderful, must return to peek at the old churches etc. he left us at the right station, but we took hours to find a platform or any trains! strange place, but a good explore and plenty of time, we eventually found them. so ... read more

AM in total panic mode; too much in my bag, still trying to pack up house for house-sitters, and leave all my admin sorted. just had my neighbour translate my German info for Trans-siberian rail trip (and entering Russia) and scared I will get something wrong, or point camera at something not allowed....or my visa will be dated incorrectly (I have more days booked in Russia on my visa than I am actually planning to stay) etc. they are so tight and strict. but of course I will get it together eventually. I'm looking forward to meeting up again with Gaby, my German 5W friend, met via the NZ tour we both booked on (and the start of all this mad adventure), in Berlin, when I arrive on New years day; and then the plan is ... read more

So much to do before leaving! I've got friends staying in my house while I'm away, so I'm clutter clearing as well as continuing to research various ways to travel. Hurray for Real RUssia, I've got 4 visas in my passport, returned safely to me with the least amount of hassle for me. Have just discovered I need to have a ticket out of NZ before they will let me in! Had been hoping to get that sorted later. So I'm searching for freight passenger ships out of Auckland across the Pacific. And I remain uncertain about how long we shall spend in Vietnam, tho the more I read, the longer I'd like to stay, it looks fab. I'm learning new geography, and v. grateful for the loan of a globe, thanks Wendy, to really check ... read more

History: I joined a womens travel organisation, and in July discovered a tour of New Zealand planned for early 2008. With my Green principles, I wanted to travel as far as possible overland. After reading Barb's blog (the woman who travelled overland to a wedding in Oz from CAT last year) I discovered The Man in Seat 61 (seat61.com), they have been my chief inspiration, suggesting how to do this. I've since joined forces with another woman heading for the same NZ tour, and met up with her in Berlin last weekend (travelling by train of course), partly as a dummy run, and mainly to meet up with her. I have done masses of off and online research, checking out places to visit, where to stay, various trains, it's a wonderful way to virtually tour the ... read more