Another retrospective blog, these things really are a labour of love. Hope your all doing well xxxxx There is an advert running in Australia at the moment that urges people to visit 'real Australia', in Western Australia. Indeed it is a shame that the majority of backpackers miss out this wonderful part of the country, focussing on the east coast, WA is a bit more untouched but maybe thats part of its charm and appeal.... Perth (population 1.3 million) I flew into Perth and with hindsight now I wished that I had stayed there much longer, I really did like the city. However as a backpacker on a budget I could not turn down a free ride to a place just short of Darwin, my ultimate destination. When I first arrived in Perth I obviously didn't ... read more

I have severe Blog Lag as one of my fellow bloggers put it...this is my Blog from when I was in Cambodia in October... I travelled from Saigon through to Phnom Penh (Cambodia capital) on a local bus along with eight other travelling companions, people that I had met in Vietnam. Cambodia is a place where most people probably feel more comfortable travelling with a companion, however if you find yourself in the position of being a lone traveller it is a very simple country to navigate round. Not dissimilar to the rest of SE Asia where the logistics of travelling a country are easily taken out of your hands. However you do need to be careful about your personal property especially when travelling on public transport in Cambodia. Two girls that I was travelling with ... read more

Camping is the way forward.... Even though you are well prepared for the fact that your money won't go that far in Australia after being in the cash cushion of Asia....it still manages to take you by surprise somewhat. For example the bus ticket that I bought for all my travels in Vietnam..from the North to the South of the country cost $20 USA...To travel from Perth to Darwin on a Greyhound bus cost in the vicinity of $600 aussie dollars, obviously the mileage is somewhat greater in the latter of the two but you get the idea of the disparity. Consequently hiring a campervan is an affordable way of seeing the country. It comes with fringe benefits too: you can stop when you want to break up long journeys, with a ten minute pit stop ... read more

I entered the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel and have to say that at first I was slightly disappointed, I thought that I had walked into a downmarket Wetherspoons: Peanut Shells littered the floor and there was no manager hurriedly rushing around with a dustpan and brush. To make matters worse people were adding to the mess by throwing more on the floor! Totally inappropriate and ironic that in the poshest area of this 'no litter' metropolis people were living so recklessly-did they not know about the fines? The audacity!This is Raffles! It soon came to light that this was tradition, apparently when Raffles first opened its doors in the late nineteenth century, the patrons used to throw the shells on the floor and its a tradition that has continued...Phew Raffles redeemed! I ordered the obligatory ... read more

One of the less relaxing expereinces however was being on the public bus between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng.. Reassuringly there have been no hold ups on this stretch of road, aptly named Route 13, for two years. However I have to say I was more than alarmed when the man sat directly behind me had a pistol in his back pocket and a rifle stacked up against the wall- what ever happened to a Pork Pie and a Puzzle Compendium to wile away a six hour bus journey....for obvious reasons I decided not to ask him this and strategically moved three seats ahead as in my mind I believed this would help me in an 'open fire' situation!? In all seriousness, this route is seemingly renound for armed men travelling on it, endorsed by the ... read more