After a week spent mingling in the sunshine with the beautiful people of Sydney (and sticking out like sore thumbs in our rags!), we arrived into Christchurch, New Zealand. Where it felt more like we'd just arrived in the Arctic. It was bloomin freezing compared to what we'd just spent the past 6 months in !!! We were met by friends from home, Zoe and Mark who both moved out here a few years ago, and whisked off to their pad in the hills on the outskirts of the city where we spent the next month or so coming back down [View Full Entry]

---

---

Yet again another mission border crossing !! They make it sound so simple in the guide books..... WRONG !!! We flew from Borneo back into Johor Baru in Southern Malaysia, and made our way down to the border on a bus. Where we then had to wait an hour for another one, then get off at the check point with all our stuff, then go through immigration and customs, then get on another bus to take us over the causeway and into Singapore. Then get off the bus and go through immigration again, then get stopped and quizzed about how much [View Full Entry]

---

---

We were soooo excited about coming to Borneo, for both of us its always been one of those really far away sounding places that you never expect to visit ! Plus it wasnt part of the plan initially, so was like an added bonus ! The only downside was we could only fit in 10 days, so we headed straight for Sabah, on the eastern side. It was about a 2hour flight from Southern Malaysia to Kota Kinabalu, the biggest and busiest town in Malaysian Borneo. (Borneo is split in two, the top half is Malaysian, the bottom is Indonesian) We [View Full Entry]

---

---

Up until the day before we were due to cross over into Malaysia, we actually had no idea where we were heading or how !! However we bumped into an ozzie guy (who was just about the only other person camping on our deserted beach in Thailand!), and he happened to be getting rid of a Malaysia, Borneo and Singapore guidebook ! Result !! So, with a map in our mits, we managed to get ourselves to a border crossing where we could catch a boat over to Langkawi, yet another island ! It wasnt without mishaps though, as we went [View Full Entry]

---

---

After our xmas and new year on lovely Koh Tao, we said goodbye to our little bungalow and Ralph the lizard, and headed to the nextdoor island in the Samui group, most famous for its Full Moon parties; Koh Phangan. After the sea crossing from the mainland to Koh Tao, I went fully prepared and dosed up on sea sickness tablets ! It wasnt too bad though and we arrived in one piece.... Not sure on where we were headed, we found ourselves being bumped along in the back of a taxi van towards Hat Rin beach, which is where the [View Full Entry]

---

---

We're back in Thailand !! Arrived back into Bangkok and headed straight down South to the Samui Islands in the Lower Southern Gulf of Thailand, to our chosen xmas destination of Koh Tao !! So exciting to be arriving on the islands, although the past couple of months have been amazing, its also been quite hectic and both of us were very much looking forward to a couple weeks of relaxing, swimming and diving ! (Sorry guys, its apparently like -6 there now isnt it ?!??!) Over the past weeks in SE Asia, we've become accustomed to (as well as each [View Full Entry]

---

---

As we travelled further North, peoples attitudes towards us changed quite a lot. There is still quite a large North/South divide even so long after the war, and perhaps due to the fact the North were actually fighting the Americans whilst the South were with them, and maybe cos of the way the French treated them in the past, they appeared to be more hostile, and certainly saw us as walking $ signs !! Even so, North Vietnam is just as interesting and beautiful, if not more, than the South. Halong Bay and Sapa were incredible places to visit, we boarded [View Full Entry]

---

---

During the month we spent in Vietnam, we visited so many different places its so difficult to choose the pics and what to write about ! Naths just about lost the will to live....its so tiring sitting next to me watching me update our blog apparently.....!!! So we've divided Vietnam into two parts... ooooh the suspense...haha ! We had a super smooth border crossing from Cambodia into Vietnam, arriving in Hoh Chi Minh City (Saigon). what a place ! Just when we thought the roads and traffic in Asia couldnt be any more hectic, this place was unbelievable ! There are [View Full Entry]

---

---

We only spent just over a week in Cambodia in total, and it was a real mixture of highs and lows ! It started off with probably the worst day we'd had all trip. The border crossing from South Laos into Cambodia was a nightmare. We were fleeced of money from start to finish and there was nothing we could do about it ! Plus the journey which was supposed to be a few hours, turned into all day and then half of the next ! Was definitely an experience though !! We were changed to about 5 different minibuses, all [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well peeps, prepare yourselves, cos this is a bit of a photo bombardment !! So i'll keep it short n sweet....! Since our last blog, I can safely say we are now accomplished users of the squat toilet (good for the thighs....!!) practically resembling a bowl of rice with the occasional noodle thrown in, oh and probably with the doo of a pineapple since that is everywhere out here too !! We have also mastered hello, goodbye, thank you in 3 languages so far (although we have had some weird and wonderful but not to mention hilarious variations from Nath which [View Full Entry]

---

---