No i do not want a motorcycle

I've been volunteering in the Amazon for over 2 months now. I've got my fair share of bites, stings and blisters, I'm exhausted from the lack of sleep, early mornings and strenuous treks, starved of any meat/cheese and generally any food that has taste or isn't beans! So, my weekend off that I returned from a few days back couldn't have come any sooner! Despite the hardships it's all been worth it though, what I've experienced in 2 months will be hard to top in my last month. Anyway, a bit about what I'm actually doing here.... The organisation I've been volunteering with are called GVI and they have projects running in most continents, normally focusing on education and development in third world countries. This one however, is different to most (although there is still the ... read more

16th day - Sakua, Kinabatangan River On the bus journey in the morning we drove right by Mt Kinabalu which stands over 4000metres high, it's quite an impressive lump of rock! Shortly after passing Mt Kinabalu, the lanscape changed from nice dense forest to mile after mile of palm oil plantations. Palm oil is used in shampoo products, foods, bio-fuel and lots more things I can't think of right now. It's the first time I've seen it here in Borneo, which is surprising because it's everywhere and it's the main reason for the decline in rain forest and endangered species! What people get from 1 palm oil tree is really quite minimal, that's why they have rows and rows of them stretching long distances, to get enough to actually do something with. About 70% of the ... read more

14th day - Mulu National Park We arrived at Mulu airport and walked for 30mins to the National Park HQ to find out where we could pitch our tent. The Lonely Planet guide says you can camp inside the National Park but when we asked, the park warden said different. Luckily we'd previously noticed a bodge-job homestay and camp site set up by a local family on the road to the NP. It was probably a much better place to be than inside the NP, we kind of felt like we were living with the locals in a way, well we weren't eating with them etc but just living on the grounds of a typical malay longhouse felt really traditional. Thier large house was on stilts and had planks of wood leading to the steps to ... read more

9th day - Flores I'm not particularly happy about domestic flights, had a few rough one's in Ethiopia and have developed a bit of a fear for them, this one however was smooth as! I arrived in Flores at kimodo airport in the small coastal town of Labuan Bajo with the plan of getting an official taxi (one with a metre). There were no official taxi's to be seen however. I got in any old taxi, another chap invited himself too, he obviously knew the taxi driver and wanted my business. I said where i needed dropping off (my chosen travel agent, to organise my trip to see the dragons) but they dropped me at what was obviously the guys own travel agency. I like to plan things myself so I know exactly whats going on, ... read more

6th day - Probalingo Arriving at 6:30 meant that we couldn't check into any hostels and get some sleeping action in until 12. One place did let us keep luggage in the hostel though, it was starting to warm up and I didn't want to carry my stuff in the heat, I already felt like curling into a ball and dying. This is what proper travelers do though, they go copious amounts of time without sleep, food or showering, getting lost in the middle of nowhere etc, I'm just not used to it yet, probably will be by the time i finish my trip though. Got 3hrs of deep sleep in the afternoon but had to get up and walk down town to sort out a lift to the edge of Bromo. Bromo is a group ... read more