Nic Garry

After a 'beautiful' 6 hour bus journey from Siem Reap over dirt tracks we finally arrived back in Thailand where we took a train to Bangkok. We spent four days there and far too much money after wondering into a tailors to 'browse'...... six pairs of trousers, two jackets, ten shirts, a skirt and a silk dressing gown (Garry's little Delboy touch) later, we decided to get the hell out and caught the overnight train north to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a refreshing city after spending time in Bangkok - the air is less polluted and the town feels less claustrophobic as there is plenty of open land on the outskirts. The night market is buzzing each evening with food and gift stalls so the shopping, which was meant to have stopped, began again, much ... read more

Stepping off the plane at Cairns International airport, the warmth hit us and my wardrobe increased ten-fold as I was once again able to wear all of the summer clothes Garry had encouraged me to pack some six months ago! After checking in to our hostel, I booked myself a PADI open water divers course, which I took over fours days. After passing the theory test we headed out to the ocean and I was able to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef which was an amazing experience. Garry joined me on the boat for a snorkelling session once I had certified and was fortunate enough to see a huge turtle and a reef shark! Needless to say the fish were awesome - there were literally thousands of different types, made up of every colour ... read more

'Bula' Everybody......I don't know if I have the energy to write this as I am now fully integrated into Fijian life thus working on what is known as 'Fiji Time' (it's like the manana syndrome of Spain but even slower paced). And when you have very little to do but sunbath and snorkel, Fiji Time is the Right Time! Apart from being horizontally laid back, the Fijians are also the friendliest people we have ever met - you cannot walk past a Fijian without them saying 'bula' to you (hello/life/welcome) and soon enough we were 'bula-ing' with the best of them. We arrived to Nadi, a main port and base for travelers, and went straight to the travel desk to arrange catching the ferry to the islands. The following morning we boarded the big yellow vessel ... read more

We arrived in Ecuador the night before their historic World Cup win over Costa Rica. The match was screened at 8am local time and after they secured their place in the next round, Ecuador erupted..... There was singing and dancing in the streets, drums and music, and eveyone, even the busdriver, wore their country's colours. That afternoon, we were wandering around Quito, visiting the stunning Plaza de Independencia and other such picturesque plazas and choice churches, when we found ourselves in the middle of one such impromptu party. We were soon adopted by a few local lads, held 'hostage' and forced to dance and party-on with the Ecuadorians! From Quito, we headed to Portoviejo. It's not an attractive town by anyone's standards so I therefore have no pictures to post! However, we were not here on ... read more

Well, we spent four days at the Banana Bungalow, that really isn't much more than a shack on the beach in desperate need of some renovation work as well as a few memeber of staff with a smile. The best thing about it is the location and we did get two days of decent weather. The first night there we decided to drown our sorrows at having left the USA Hostel where we had been spoilt by the staff (Jim & Chris - you are stars!), in fact we ended up calling the manager Jim'll Fix It because there is nothing in San Diego this man cannot arrange. Anyway, lucky for us a group of US Marines turned up with the entertainment...and taught us the rules of Beer Pong - basically throwing ping pong balls into ... read more