NicandJay

Oh Thailand! We had forgotten how much we love this country. After flying into Bangkok (been there done that) we decided we would head straight down to Ko Pha Ngan (also been there but need to do it again). We took the overnight sleeper train down to the connecting ferry which would take us to Ko Pha Ngan. In all we had a surprisingly easy pain-free trip from Rome, traveling for about 48hrs before we arrived at our first destination, Bottle Beach, Ko Pha Ngan. Bottle Beach is the most isolated beach on the north eastern coast of the island and most accessible by long-tail boat. There are only 4 places you can stay at on the beach, the creatively named Bottle Beach 1, 2 or 3 or Smile Bungalows. We chose BB1 and got ourselves ... read more

It’s been a while so be warned it’s a long one! Spain and we were looking forward to a few things. The beach, warm weather, Tapas, and catching up with Nicole's friend Tracey and Sister Belinda. So we were off again. First stop Malaga, Spain. Most travellers only really use Malaga as there gateway to Spain and the sun drenched beaches of the Costa del Sol. We found it to be quite a cool city. We stayed for 2 nights in a great little pension for 42Euro per night. With narrow old streets (most of the historical area is pedestrianised), huge plazas, beautiful gardens, some impressive sights, boutique shops and plenty of tapas bars and clubs there seems to be something for everyone. We checked out the towns Cathedral (old mosque) and walked around the Alcazaba ... read more

So we had decided to high-tail it to the Caribbean. On one of the bus legs there is a notoriously dangerous stretch of road from southern colombia to Cali. It is advised to take this route by day. We didn't really know this and took it overnight. Our bus arrived safely, but a week earlier a bus was hijacked by paying customers and driven into the jungle and held for 2 hours while the hijackers robbed everyone at gun point for all they had. we arrived safely however. A stop of 7hrs in Cali (where we wondered the streets- and we thought that's all you need there), 5 buses and 72hrs later we arrived in Cartagena, Colombia. We arrived at the bus terminal about 8pm and needed to get to town. The terminal is quite far ... read more

Hola. So yet again we were on a bus, destination, Arequipa. The second largest city in Peru, situated in the Andes. Nestled between the coastal desert and the spurs of the western Andes Arequipa is flanked by a series of volcanos, "El Misti alt over 6000m", "Chachani" and "Pichu Pichu", making its setting quite beautiful. The town square is very picturesque - they say probably the best in Peru. Spanish Colonial houses and mansions spread from the centre to poorer outskirts where Fevala type accomodations house the poorer in town. The city it self has loads of cool bars and restaurants to choose from. we checked out a local band one night and were treated to an interesting mix of original Peruvian rock tracks with a smattering of Pink Floyd meets the wedding singer covers. We ... read more

Our bus from BA arrived at 6am, 2hrs earlier than expected (shocking for South American standards) at the Argentinian border town of La Quiaca, 12 March. Now this is not such a bad thing except the border crossing does not open until 7am (Bolivia time is also 1 hour behind Argentina.. so 2 hours wait on that side) and it was freakin cold. So all rugged up, packs on, we queued up single file with many other tourists over a bridge and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise waiting for the immigration office to open. We used this time to befriend some other travellers, a young english lad and a couple, Alexandra from Portugal and Dietmar from Germany. Once the office opened we were given an insight into what was to possibly lay ahead in Bolivia. One guard, ... read more