Max and Clare

You can't have a trip like ours and not mentally note things that deserve recognition, and sadly some things that deserve to be highlighted for their not so good qualities. These awards are representative of the good and bad things of our trip. So here in a blaze of smoke and lazers are the 2007 Trip Awards! "Cue Strobes!" "Lighting in five, four, three...." " You're on guys- just follow the autocue on camera three" * Drumroll * "Here, broadcast live from a secret location in the Buckinghamshore countryside are the two thousand and seven TRIP AWARDS!!! Please give a warm welcome to our hosts, Max and Clare!!" * Rapturous applause from the audience* Max: "Thank you, thank you. Oh stop, thank you! Welcome to the inaugural awards and thank you for being here to celebrate ... read more

Our mission - which we chose to accept, was the four day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I am delighted that it has worked out to be my turn to write this blog entry which is about the best thing by some distance that we have both ever done. It is also about the hardest thing by some distance that we have both ever done, and therefore the most magical and worthwhile! Personally it probably takes the award as the most surreal also - I couldn't quite convince myself that I really WAS in Peru, trekking through the Andes. Cusco It all started with a decent enough flight over to Lima from Santiago and a connection from there to Cusco. For anyone connecting in Lima please note there is a six dollar departure tax that no-one ... read more

A miraculous thing happened to us almost as soon as we arrived here on North Island - we actually managed to pick up some radio stations. Many long, arduous car journeys had passed on South Island with the odd crackle, and if we were lucky, and I mean really lucky, some background fuzz. Not so here on North, it's like a land of noise in comparison. Still rubbish radio, but anything is better than nothing when you're heading for 300km away with nothing to entertain you but the outside crosswinds, a bottle of water and the occasional overtaking idiot. I must say that to anyone reading this, if you have not been to New Zealand and sometime get the chance to do so, we can both highly recommend you take that chance. One of the first ... read more

Firstly, please let me apologise for any forthcoming grammatical errors but I am trying to listen to Norwich v Ipswich commentary courtesy of Radio Norfolk, and come up with a mildly interesting article at the same time - two things at once is pushing it.... So, Melbourne - not just the home of Melbourne Cricket Ground, Neighbours and Melbourne Bitter. Oh no, it is also home to Telstra Dome, Channel Seven and Victoria Bitter. These alone are more than enough reasons why anyone enjoys Melbourne. For those who are not already convinced there is also great restaurants, pubs, shopping and even free tourist trams to ferry you around. There are of course, certain similarities between Melbourne and Sydney. They are both full of Australians, they also both have Telstra Domes which has confused me no end. ... read more

See what I did with the title there? Poor really wasnt it? A sense of relief has overcome me as I slide into the computer seat and finally get to writing up about Adelaide. We are actually nowhere near Adelaide - I am writing from Apollo Bay, our fourth stop since hitting the trail out of Adelaide towards The Great Ocean Road and eventually Melbourne. I seem to have been meaning to write it for days, infact I have tried once before, but without much success due to it being after an evening at the pub earlier on the road. Best to leave it, we thought... So we stayed just around the corner from Rundle Mall, which is the main shopping area in the centre of Adelaide. The YHA was nice, with a good atmosphere ... read more