I've spent the last week doing plenty of sightseeing in Israel. On Sunday, Ortal (a friend of Yuda's) took us to the Golan Heights. ...you may have heard of it because it is an area (orignially of Syria) that has been occupied by Israel since the Six Day War in 1967. It is a plateau in the northeast of Israel, bordering of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria (and from a distance I saw each of these countries). Now I've been there I can see what the fuss is about. It's a lovely place, with great views over Israel (this could be why [View Full Entry]

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We've been in Israel for one week now... and I was definitely ready to slow down and settle in to life at Kibbutz Messilot. I have been sleeping for 8-11 hours every night and I still feel lethargic during the day! I blame my constant fatigue on trying to follow Hebrew conversations and the warm weather. Each day we go to sleep to the sounds of a very loud air conditioner and an even louder alarm. I'm not sure what the alarm is for (probably a car or truck) but it is constant and pretty annoying! One of Yuda's friends says [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Jordan early on Tuesday morning. I stepped out of the plane not knowing what to expect… Jordan is the first Muslim country I have been to and I was feeling very self conscious about my exposed arms and ankles. I soon found out that, even though most of the locals are dressed very conservatively, I had nothing to worry about. Jordan is wonderful. The people are SO welcoming, friendly and helpful. Everywhere we went people would say, ‘Welcome to Jordan’ and offer us all sorts of advice and assistance. Jordanians love their country, and I can see why. [View Full Entry]

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Hello everyone... due to access issues and popular demand (well really... for you Ash) I've made all my travelblog entries public. It's a little disturbing that anybody can read them now... but I will get over it! Yesterday we returned to Bangkok after a great few days in Koh Tao, in the Gulf Coast. It is a gorgeous place and I wish I could have spent longer there... and also had more time to explore other islands too! The beaches are nice, the water is very calm (except for the boat ride from Chumphon... where I ended up quite green) and [View Full Entry]

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I've been in Thailand for 11 days now... and it already feels like my last day at work was a lifetime ago! I've definitely got into the travel swing of things. I never know which day it is and I'm enjoying late nights and even later mornings! Last weekend (or was it the one before that!?) I received an email about a job in London, asking them to phone them to confirm interview attendance... I foolishly phoned them immediately (not realising it was Saturday) and kept checking my phone for missed calls ALL WEEKEND! On the Monday I realised what an [View Full Entry]

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The last few days have been very busy! On Monday morning we caught the bus from Bangkok to Ayutthaya... late on Monday afternoon we arrived there! It's only a two hour bus ride but we spend about two hours getting to the bus station (we got on a bus that was going in the wrong direction)! So much for all our public bus savviness! I learnt my lesson, that night in Ayutthaya I spent a good hour scrutinising my map of Bangkok and learning the useful bus numbers! Ayutthaya is north of Bangkok. It is the former capital of Thailand (apparently [View Full Entry]

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Sorry to type another entry... I couldn't figure out how to post the photo link. It is: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35312&id=500692580. Trina. [View Full Entry]

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I made it! My first few days in Bangkok have been good! I've trawled the plazas (I haven't bought anything worth mentioning) and whittled away most of my time by eating! Plus I've been brave, and with Yuda's encouragement, I have been using the public buses AND eating street food. The buses are SO MUCH cheaper than a taxi. The most expensive fare I've paid so far was about 40 cents. We get quite a few looks, as we're always the only farang (foreigners) on board but it's all okay. I was scared at first but I've come to realise that [View Full Entry]

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